EU COMMISSION PROPOSES RAISING MINIMUM DUTY LEVELS
September 1st, 2006
BY KEITH NUTHALL
MEDITERRANEAN countries face raising duties on fortified wines such as port and sherry under a proposal to increase minimum European Union (EU) excise duties by 31%. The European Commission wants to maintain the value they commanded when introduced in 1993. But the rates have not been rounded up for inflation, the reform's aim. "The minimum rates are the cornerstone of the EU excise duty system", said EU taxation Commissioner László Kovács. However, the changes' effect will be limited. Wine has no minimum rate anyway. But fortified ...
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