Colombia threatens ban on foreign liquor

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Colombia Reports

Colombia threatens ban on foreign liquor .
Thursday, 20 January 2011 12:30 Hannah Aronowitz .

Colombia threatened to cut off foreign liquor imports starting March 1 in hopes to reclaim lost tax on illegal imports, at the National Federation of Departments on Wednesday, reported newspaper El Espectador Thursday.

This measure, proposed by 31 governors of Colombia, is intended to turnaround the ongoing fight against liquor smuggling, which gained notoriety in 2004 when Colombia sued multinational liquor companies, Diageo, Seagram and Pernod Ricard in New York City courts.

Of the 28 million bottles imported into Colombia every year only 6 million were properly taxed, said the governor of Caldas Mario Aristizabal. That means 75 percent of the liquor entering the country is smuggled.

"We believe it is essential to protect the financial department and raise the revenues in each department," the governor of Huila Jorge Luis Sanchez told Sanchez told newspaper La Republica.

Read more: http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13833-colombia-threatens-ban-on-foreign-liquor.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. You may recall Venezuela's President called for a tax on Scotch in Venezuela,

which seemed offensive to right-wing U.S. Americans:

Chavez calls time on whisky boom
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=3013625

The price of vice increases in Venezuela
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2064702#2064733