煙草在線據(jù)RIA Novosti報道編譯 5月2日,接受Prime新聞社調(diào)查的煙酒行業(yè)的重要人物說,俄羅斯總統(tǒng)的經(jīng)濟助手阿卡迪·德沃科維奇所提倡的酒類產(chǎn)品與煙草消費稅的快速上提,可能會使俄羅斯的假冒與替代產(chǎn)品增加。
在5月2日接受俄羅斯新聞社的一次采訪中,阿卡迪·德沃科維奇要求將酒類產(chǎn)品與煙草消費稅提高到超出計劃的水平。
不過,業(yè)內(nèi)人士說,這個提議是不明智的。
酒類產(chǎn)品制造商聯(lián)合會主席Dmitry Dobrov說,消費稅只有在市場上沒有假冒酒類產(chǎn)品和替代品時才應(yīng)該被提高。
他說:“消費者購買力并沒有發(fā)生根本性的變化。如果大幅度地提高消費稅,結(jié)果導(dǎo)致價格大漲,那購買商品的人就可以選擇:要么購買合法但非常昂貴的產(chǎn)品,要么購買非法但便宜的產(chǎn)品?!?/p>
他說,合法酒類產(chǎn)品的價格越高,貿(mào)易商通過生產(chǎn)和銷售非法酒類產(chǎn)品獲得的錢就越多。
聯(lián)邦與地區(qū)酒類產(chǎn)品市場研究中心主任Vadim Drobiz也持這樣的觀點。
他說:“甚至現(xiàn)在的相對于最低平均工資而言,要比一些歐洲國家高的酒類產(chǎn)品價格水平,也是造成市場上出現(xiàn)50%假冒產(chǎn)品的原因,而在過去兩至三年時間里,消費稅的上提已經(jīng)使這個數(shù)字增加到了63%?!彼€補充說,消費稅上提將會使假冒與替代酒類產(chǎn)品的比例在2014年時增加到75%。
Drobiz說,俄羅斯政府應(yīng)該將創(chuàng)造烈性酒類產(chǎn)品的替代產(chǎn)品,最好是創(chuàng)造葡萄酒和低酒精含量的飲料替代品作為優(yōu)先考慮的事情。
俄羅斯煙草新聞社領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人Maksim Korolyov說,俄羅斯市場上的假冒卷煙所占的份額目前還小,但如果政府不能使煙草消費稅與由俄羅斯、白俄羅斯和哈薩克斯坦組成的關(guān)稅聯(lián)盟成員國保持一致的話,這種情況可能會發(fā)生變化。
他說:“當(dāng)白俄羅斯的卷煙在俄羅斯邊境地區(qū)出售時,我們就可以發(fā)現(xiàn)跡象?!彼a充說,在俄羅斯,一包過濾嘴卷煙的平均售價最低為20盧布,而相比之下,在白俄羅斯的售價為3至4盧布。
日本煙草國際公司在俄羅斯的公關(guān)董事Anatoly Vereshchagin也附和他的看法。Anatoly Vereshchagin說:“如今,俄羅斯與關(guān)稅聯(lián)盟的成員國之間的煙草價格水平已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了相當(dāng)大的不平衡。”
“最后,隨著消費稅負(fù)擔(dān)的進一步增加,以及在俄羅斯制造的卷煙的可購買性降低,俄羅斯消費者對白俄羅斯和哈薩克斯坦工廠制造的較便宜產(chǎn)品的需求只會增長。”
Russian Excise Duty Hikes to Spur Contraband - Business
The rapid rise in alcohol and tobacco excise duties advocated by Russian presidential economic aide Arkady Dvorkovich is likely to increase the number of fake and surrogate products in Russia, alcohol and tobacco business figures polled by Prime news agency said on Wednesday.
In an interview with RIA Novosti on Wednesday, Dvorkovich called for increased alcohol and tobacco excise duties above the planned level.
Industry figures said, however, that the proposal was inexpedient.
Union of Alcohol Producers chairman Dmitry Dobrov said excise duties should be raised only when the market was free of fake alcohol products and surrogates.
"Consumer purchasing power has not changed radically. With a sharp growth in excise duties and, as a result, sharp growth in prices, the buyer will have an alternative: either to buy legal but very expensive or illegal and cheap products," he said.
The higher the price of legal alcohol, the more money dealers will get from production and sale of illegal alcohol, he said.
His opinion was shared by Center of Federal and Regional Alcohol Market Studies director Vadim Drobiz.
"Even the existing level of alcohol prices, which is higher than in some European countries relative to minimum average wages, was the cause for up to 50 percent of fake products on the market, while the growth of excise duties in the past two to three years has pushed this figure up to 63 percent," he said, adding the excise duty hikes would increase the proportion of fake and surrogate alcohol to 75 percent in 2014.
Drobiz said the Russian government should prioritize creating an alternative to strong alcoholic drinks by preferences to wine and low alcoholic beverages.
Maksim Korolyov, head of the Russian Tobacco news agency, said the share of fake tobacco on the Russian market was small at present, but this could change if the government failed to harmonize tobacco excise duties with member countries of the Customs Union comprising Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
"We can already see the first signs when Belarusian cigarettes are sold in Russian border regions," he said, adding that an average filtered cigarette pack cost a minimum of 20 rubles in Russia compared with 3-4 rubles in Belarus.
He was echoed by Anatoly Vereshchagin, Japan Tobacco International's communications director in Russia. "Already today there is a considerable imbalance between tobacco price levels in Russia and the Customs Union countries."
"Eventually, with the further increase in the excise duty burden and the lower affordability of cigarettes produced in Russia, the demand of Russian consumers for cheaper products made by Belarusian and Kazakh factories will only grow."