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The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture has announced a law that obliges alcohol producers to pay deposits of between 150,000 and 1.5 million euros. These sums are to be confiscated if possible tax or administrative penalties are not paid in the future. The law is a further restriction intended to hinder the sale of alcohol in Turkey. Producers are already prohibited from selling their products online and there are restrictions on marketing and retail sales. In addition, alcohol may no longer be sold in the vicinity of public buildings and schools.
Winegrowers in Turkey are stunned by the government's new decision. Mustafa Camlica is the managing director of Chamlija Wines, one of the country's larger producers. Camlica told the online magazine Drinks Business: "Turkish VAT legislation already provides sufficient security, as all raw materials, semi-finished goods and finished goods are considered collateral, even if they are sold but kept on the company's premises." The law is an encroachment on civil liberties and overrides constitutional rights.
"If this law is implemented in this way, only a few large wineries will be able to continue operating," Camlica predicted. The sums involved would exceed the income of many businesses.
(ru / Drinks Business)