The tax increase is in line with what the then S-government proposed last spring, with reference to public health, and is implemented despite the fact that both the Moderates and the Sweden Democrats said no in their motions at the time, citing that Swedish households are already being pressured by increased costs.
The tax will be increased in two stages, on 1 January 2023 and 1 January 2024.
Until the upcoming turn of the year, the tax on beer and wine will be increased by five percent. A bottle that costs SEK 72 today will cost SEK 73.30 next year, according to Ekot. The tax on alcohol will be increased by approximately one percent. The tobacco tax will be increased by three percent. A can of snus for SEK 50 will next year cost SEK 51:20.
The tax increases are expected to increase the state treasury by approximately one billion kroner over the next year.
The Christian Democrats’ economic policy spokesperson Hanns Eklind thinks that the money the increases bring in is needed for other things, such as lower taxes on petrol and diesel.
“It is high time to raise alcohol taxes,” he tells Ekot.