Petition against higher “beer tax” already signed by thousands

A petition against any additional taxes on beer received the support of over 20,000 people in just a few days. The petition was created last weekend after the Cabinet announced on Prinsjesdag that it intended to introduce a new fee in addition to the proposed changes to the excise tax system set to take effect on January 1.

As a result, the tax increase could amount to more than 50 percent, claimed two organizations representing breweries in the Netherlands, Nederlandse Brouwers and CRAFT.

On Prinsjesdag, the outgoing Cabinet presented the proposal for an additional excise duty increase as part of the 2024 Tax Plan. This concerns an increase in excise duty by 16.2 percent.

“But that is not the whole story,” emphasized Meint Waterlander, the director of Nederlandse Brouwers. It was previously decided that a new system for beer excise duties will be introduced that also takes into account exactly how much alcohol is in a beer. A glass of tripel beer on a terrace could become about 30 cents more expensive due to all of the changes, Waterlander estimated.

The proposed increase will have a direct and unfortunate impact to the sector, according CRAFT, which represents more than 170 independent brewers in the Netherlands. “It is very sad to note that the government is talking about social security, but that the same Cabinet has no regard for the social security of breweries,” said CRAFT Chair Jos Oostendorp.

“Now that many breweries are having the greatest difficulty keeping their heads above water, I fear that the significant increase in excise duties as of January 1 could be the final blow for many breweries.”

The industry wants to present their petition to members of parliament in the Tweede Kamer on October 17. The brewers expect more signatures to be added in the coming days.