Sales of alcohol in Belarus have plummeted. According to the National Statistics Committee, in the first half of the year, compared to the same period last year, in ruble terms Belarusians have bought 13.8% less vodka. Sales of liquors and fruit wines have fallen 20%, of beer – 6%. And this figure is without inflation. Does this mean that the Belarusians finally began to drink less?
RESIDENTS OF MAHILIOU:
“The main reason is that people got poorer. Their salaries went down.”
“Looking at some people drinking outside in the morning, I wouldn’t say hat people began to drink less. They began to drink less of quality stuff.”
“And the people began to buy small bottles. Previously, they bought big bottles, and now small, and there are no small bottles on sale now.”
“I judge by myself: we drink the same way.”
The police statistics claim the same. The number of people punished administratively for drunkenness in public places is growing, nearly one and a half times more alcoholics were sent to the occupational therapy rehabs. Officials at the Main Department for Combating Economic Crimes know which way the wind blows.
VERANIKA PASMETSYEVA, CDFEC, MIA:
“Statistics show that people are not drinking less…Counterfeit alcohol is coming from the Russian Federation in flood.”
“North Wind”, “Imperial hunting”, “Russian birch” – tons of both counterfeit and genuine Russian vodka are flooding us from the Union State. Belarusian alcohol is losing to cheap product without excise tax. That’s why there are caravans of pure alcohol trucks coming across the transparent border with Russia. Even our state media felt the booze breath of the brotherly nation:
“Product of the Russian Federation.”
“Alcohol from Russia.”
“It’s some chemicals that are sold to you in Russia, and you bring them here.”
In Belarus, cheap Russian alcohol is used for making pop wine, which is then sold in illegal alcostores, mostly in the inner suburbs.
SYARHEI SKRABETS, FORMER BUSINESSMAN, EX MP:
“One liter of pure alcohol can be turned to 5 bottles of vodka, and pure alcohol has become very cheap in Russia. Liter of it now costs $1-$3”
Alcohol trucks are stopped and fined, but the volume of fake alcohol are only growing.
SYARHEI SKRABETS, FORMER BUSINESSMAN, EX MP:
“The amount of contraband is very large, as the profits are up to 1000%.”
Vital Rymasheuski – co-chairman of the party Belarusian Christian Democracy, believes that alcobusiness flourishes because of huge corruption in the local security bodies and due to the lack of the Belarusian-Russian border. And “illegal” alcohol is only one of the known factors.
VITAL RYMASHEUSKI, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:
“There is a lot of illegal transit of people and criminals across this border, and drug trafficking. It is known that one of the reasons for the spread of “spice” drug here is an open border with Russia.”
However, the government has offered not the new border crossings but new taxes. Iin the draft law on changes to the Tax Code, the Finance Ministry has proposed to increase the excise tax on alcohol – up to 20%. That is, officials want to make the domestic vodka and cheap wine even more expensive. If the law is adopted, the Belarusian and Russian bootleggers can happily raise a glass “for the Ministry of Finance!”
Yaraslau Stseshyk, Belsat
