The alcohol tax on beer and stout is expected to go up by at least 10% this week, as the Finance Ministry is expected to announce the revised rate. The last tax revision was implemented a decade ago.
Sources say that the alcohol tax – which currently is at 15% – might increase by an additional 10%.
Malaysia has the third highest tax on alcohol worldwide, behind Norway and Singapore. Malaysia has the 10th largest population of alcohol users worldwide, spending an estimated RM2 billion annually on alcoholic beverages.