Staff writer
Wine and beer lovers who have been unable to purchase or consume their alcoholic beverages of choice as a result of state of emergency regulations will face higher prices for their drinks of choice on June 3rd when stage three of the post-pandemic re-opening of Namibia begins.
This comes after Minister of Finance, Iipumbu Shiimi, on Wednesday announced the 2020/2021 budget containing additional ‘sin taxes’ on alcohol and tobacco to raise money for depleted state coffers. This will be of interest to those that have been unable to purchase alcohol since the nation went into the state of emergency on the 28th of March.
Consumers will have to pay 8c extra for a 340ml can of beer or cider. A 750ml bottle of wine will cost an extra 14c, a 750ml bottle of sparkling wine, 61c more while a bottle of 750 ml spirits, including whisky, gin or vodka, will increase by N$2.89.
Smokers, who have not been under pressure under the lockdown as tobacco products were not banned, have not been spared from the taxman. For a packet of 20 cigarettes, the sin tax will raise the price by an extra 74c. A 25 gram of piped tobacco will cost 40c more, and a 23-gram cigar will cost an extra N$6.73.
“The current national ban on the sale of alcohol products due to COVID-19 saved consumers [temporarily] from sin taxes,” the finance minister said in his budget speech. But, that hiatus from alcohol consumption or purchases will soon end. And higher prices for the privilege will begin.
