Illegal Spirits Sales Reached About EUR750M In 2010

05.17.2011 By Ioana Tudor

Illegal spirits sales in Romania stood at between EUR700 million and EUR750 million last year, or 60% of the overall spirits market, according to the Garant association comprising most of the players on the spirits market.

Garant president Romulus Dascalu told a news conference Tuesday that tax evasion on the spirits market increased over the past years.

According to Dascalu, legal spirits sales on the local market stood at about EUR500 million in 2010.

The number of excise stamp for spirits decreased from 151.5 million in 2009, to 136 million last year. In the first two months of 2011, the number of spirits excise stamps decreased to 9 million, from 17 million in January-February 2010, Dascalu said.

The volume of spirits sales decreased to 204,000 hectoliters in 2010, from 227,000 hl in 2009.

The consumption of spirits dropped from 8.5 liters per capita in 2008 to 6 liters per capita in 2009 and 5 liters per capita last year.