The film revolves around milk fermentation, a leftover product from the manufacture of cottage cheese. Riedel, maker of soft drinks such as Appelsientje, Coolbest and Dubbelfriss, adds a little of this to smoothies. She then sells it as “Appelsientje Fruitdrink” in flavors such as pear, apple and orange. These drinks contain 10 percent ground matter.
By adding dairy products, the drink is not subject to excise tax for non-alcoholic drinks. This is also called the sugar tax. This tax has been increased since the beginning of this year from 17.30 euros per 100 liters to 26.13 euros.
Healthy choice
The tax increase applies to all non-alcoholic drinks: from soft drinks to non-alcoholic beer. Only mineral water survives the dance. The tax was abolished for this purpose. Because this is a “healthy choice,” according to the government.
This was one of the reasons for increasing taxes: so that people could live healthier lives. In addition, it provides the state with good additional tax revenue.
For this year, State Secretary Marnix van Rij (Tax) relies on income of 699 million euros from this tax, he said in response to parliamentary questions on the issue. If the additional revenues resulting from the increase of €300 million are included in this estimate, the increase would therefore generate an additional income of 75 per cent.
It's not clear what the closet is missing
The ministry cannot say what the treasury loses as a result of Riedel's trick. There's no need to report soft drinks containing dairy, so it's not clear how many are being sold.
In his letter to Parliament, the Secretary of State made no mention of this: the increase is mainly intended to fill the coffers, not to “promote a healthy lifestyle”. Van Rij does not intend to change the law, because the Council of Ministers has expired.
It is the role of the House of Representatives
This could be done in itself, for example, by allowing consumption tax to be applied to drinks containing a small amount of dairy products. If the House insists on doing something about the loophole, Van Rij has already listed some options.
The question is whether that will happen. The proposals made on this subject “do not present a clear picture,” as the Secretary of State accurately points out. If a new law or an amendment to the existing law is quickly approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, Customs will need at least a year or two to prepare the measure.
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