Germany’s homebrewers no longer pay beer tax

Published Apr 9, 2024

Tridge summary

Germany has made a significant move to support homebrewers by removing the obligation to report yearly production to customs or pay tax on brews that exceed 200 litres. This decision, aimed at reducing unnecessary bureaucracy as part of an initiative by Olaf Scholz’s government, acknowledges that the administrative costs surpassed the tax revenue, which was around €11,000. Now, homebrewers are only required to declare their activity if they produce more than 500 litres annually. This change is expected to be positively received by Germany's homebrewing community, which has seen growth to about 10,000 registered individuals in the last decade. The adjustment also highlights the historical significance of beer taxation in Germany and contrasts with the €600 million annually contributed by commercial breweries.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Homebrewers in Germany will no longer need to report their yearly production to customs or pay tax on brews, even if more than 200 litres. The decision, which came into force as Olaf Scholz’s government announced cuts to unnecessary bureaucracy, was reported in the Telegraph and will see an end to the taxes for any hobby brewers. Until now, home brewers had needed to report their yearly production to customs and were subject to tax if they brewed more than 200 litres. But according to the German finance ministry, the take from this tax, said to be €11,000 (£9,400), does not justify the administrative effort and so will be scrapped. In future, the reports outlined that homebrewers will only need to declare their hobby if they bottle 500 litres a year and, while experimental homebrewing has taken off in Germany, this is good news for many who have been dabbling with producing their own beers. According to reports, the amount of homebrewers now in Germany has trebled in the past ...

Source: Thedrinkbusiness