New developments in the alcohol landscape prompt concern among health experts
In recent years, the alcohol industry in Germany has seen a significant surge in the popularity of spirits-based mixed drinks. According to market researcher Andreas Heim from Nielsen IQ, these beverages represent a growing category in the alcohol industry. Over the past twelve months, the industry has achieved a turnover of over 715 million euros with these drinks, marking a 20 percent increase in two years.
These new mixed drinks, which always have an alcohol content of at least 10 percent, have been a cause for concern among health experts. Tobias Effertz, a health researcher at the University of Hamburg, has compared the current situation to the alcopop boom of the 2000s. He advocates for a reform of the alcopop tax with a graduated tax rate based on alcohol content.
Effertz suspects manufacturers of exploiting a loophole in the 2004 alcopop tax law, which imposed a punitive tax on alcopops up to an alcohol content of 10 percent. Due to their higher alcohol content, the new mixed drinks are not subject to this tax. Heim also notes that these drinks appeal to younger target groups.
The growing success of these beverages has raised alarm among health experts, who argue that if Germans drank less alcohol, billions could be saved in the healthcare system. However, the spirits industry rejects the criticism, stating that their products are already at a disadvantage due to the alcohol tax compared to beer and wine.
No comment was made by the Federal Ministry of Health regarding a potential reform of the alcopop tax. A spokeswoman from the Federal Ministry of Health referred to information and awareness work as an instrument of alcohol prevention. The red-green federal government in 2004 imposed the punitive tax on alcopops, but the name of the legislator responsible for the gap in the law is not explicitly mentioned in the search results, nor is the exact date of the law's passage provided.
Despite the lack of official comment, the debate on tax reform continues. Effertz argues that the situation is even more dangerous now due to a higher alcohol content, and that the government should take action to address the issue. Only time will tell if any changes will be made to the current tax law.
