Putin restored state support to small sugar beverage producers.

Let us recall that since July 1, 2023, sugary beverages have been recognized as excisable goods. The excise tax rate was set at 7 rubles per liter, and by 2025 it increased to 10 rubles. At the same time, small and medium-sized businesses that produce or sell excisable goods are prohibited from receiving government support. Thus, manufacturers of lemonades, carbonated sugary beverages, and fruit drinks found themselves on the same level as alcohol and tobacco producers and lost the right to subsidies, grants, etc. The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Protection of Competition, Igor Igoshin, explained that the new law will allow them to receive financial support from the state. "This decision will ensure the development of the non-alcoholic beverage production industry. Small and medium-sized businesses create jobs, pay taxes, replenish budgets at all levels, and create a stable foundation for the state's economy, and our task is to create conditions for ...