JERUSALEM – Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid signed a
decree earlier this week that increases the tax on alcoholic drinks in the
country by 25%, the New York Daily News reports.
Beginning July 1, the tax on alcoholic beverages increases
to $28.50 per liter, up from the current $23 per liter. The start date is five
months earlier than originally announced.
The Israeli government expects that the increased tax will
generate about $54 million in additional revenue for the country.
Ofer Ronen, co-owner of the Srigim Brewery outside
Jerusalem, said that his business has been feeling the pinch from high taxes
and that the new tax is likely to force him out of business. “All of our
business planning was based on the previous tax,” he said.