Moscow, July 31
Excise duties on beer could be increased in Russia in view of the rising "beer alcoholism" in the country, said President Vladimir Putin Tuesday, but however added that a cautious approach was needed.
"As for beer, we may proceed toward increasing excise duties on it. On the whole, beer alcoholism is a real problem but ... increasing duties should be done carefully," Putin told participants of Russia's Seliger youth educational camp forum.
"This year the government has raised duties quite a lot, so if we go further down this route, we need to do so carefully," he said.
The government plans to raise duty on beer to 20 rubles (about $0.70) a litre by 2015, from the current level of 12 rubles per litre.