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Hong Kong plans to expand a program to attract wealthy individuals who purchase luxury homes, aiming to support the real estate sector and maintain its status as a global hub. Chief Executive John Lee announced that the migration program will now include property purchases as part of the required investment, with a lower tax on spirits also introduced to boost spending. The city's economy has faced challenges due to falling real estate prices and sluggish consumption, prompting efforts to attract investors and diversify the economy through measures such as revamping an Innovation and Technology Venture Fund. [Extracted from the article]

Hong Kong is implementing measures to support its real estate sector and boost spending, including loosening mortgage rules and cutting an alcohol tax. Chief Executive John Lee aims to stimulate the economy amidst China's slowdown, with a focus on the struggling property market. The city's economy has faced challenges such as falling real estate prices and sluggish consumption, prompting the government to take action to attract investment and support local businesses. [Extracted from the article]

Hong Kong plans to expand a program to attract wealthy migrants who purchase luxury homes, aiming to support the city's status as a hub and boost the real estate sector. Chief Executive John Lee announced the expansion, which includes lowering liquor taxes to stimulate spending and support the struggling service industry. The city's economy has faced challenges, including falling real estate prices and sluggish consumption, but efforts are being made to attract investors and diversify the economy through initiatives like the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund. [Extracted from the article]

The Civic Federation, a watchdog group, suggests that Chicago should consider furloughs, higher liquor taxes, and levies on services to address its significant budget deficits. The city faces a more than $1 billion budget gap through 2025 due to long-term pension and debt costs. The report emphasizes the need for innovative solutions and long-term planning to rectify the city's financial challenges, with options including reducing costs by cutting vacancies and boosting revenue through measures like raising levies on garbage and liquor. [Extracted from the article]

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, is expected to focus on boosting the city's economy in his upcoming policy speech. This includes the possibility of cutting a liquor tax to support the nightlife and dining industry. The city's economy has grown within the official forecast range, but falling real estate prices and sluggish consumption have affected sentiment. Lee's administration has taken steps to support the real estate market, and there are plans to attract more investors by revamping an Innovation and Technology Venture Fund. Measures to diversify the economy, such as boosting the medical and biotechnology sector, are also being considered. [Extracted from the article]

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, is expected to prioritize bolstering the economy in his upcoming annual speech. The speech will likely include a potential cut to a liquor tax and measures to strengthen Hong Kong's status as a finance center. Lee aims to revive the economy after a pandemic slump and address headwinds such as an ailing real estate sector and sluggish consumption. He may also focus on attracting more investors, diversifying the economy, and making it easier for foreign workers to move to Hong Kong. [Extracted from the article]

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, will deliver his annual policy address this week, with a focus on revitalizing the economy after the pandemic slump. Lee aims to strengthen the city's status as a finance center and may propose a cut to the liquor tax. The economy, heavily reliant on trade with China, has been impacted by China's slowdown and geopolitical uncertainties. Lee also plans to attract more investors by revamping the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund and diversifying the economy by boosting the medical and biotechnology sector. The property market remains a challenge, with declining prices and limited policy options. Lee may also address the need to attract foreign workers and improve talent attraction. [Extracted from the article]

Arvind Kejriwal, a prominent opposition leader in India and critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will remain in jail after his bail was revoked by the Delhi High Court. Kejriwal, who is also the chief minister of Delhi, is facing corruption charges related to a liquor sales tax scheme that has since been scrapped. He has denied the charges and claims they are politically motivated. Kejriwal's party plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. [Extracted from the article]

Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail by a Delhi Court after spending weeks in custody. Kejriwal, the chief minister of the national capital, faces allegations of money laundering related to a liquor sales tax scheme. He has been repeatedly denied bail in trial courts and has not stepped down as chief minister despite calls for his resignation. Kejriwal's party, the Aam Aadmi Party, has denied the allegations and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of engaging in a political witch-hunt. [Extracted from the article]

Lithuania plans to raise taxes on companies and alcohol in order to generate an additional €400 million ($435 million) to cover higher defense spending next year. The proposed measures include increasing the corporate tax rate to 16% from 15%, raising the excise tax on alcohol, tobacco, and fuel, introducing a new insurance tax, and keeping a windfall levy on banks in place for an additional year. These steps are aimed at financing a German brigade deployment and strengthening Lithuania's defense capabilities. The proposals have broad support across the political spectrum and among major companies in Lithuania, as concerns about the regional threat from Russia have been prominent in recent presidential elections. [Extracted from the article]

India's Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until the end of the ongoing elections, allowing him to campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. Kejriwal is facing allegations of money laundering in relation to a now-scrapped liquor sales tax scheme in Delhi and was arrested in March. Despite calls from the BJP for his resignation, Kejriwal has been running his government from prison. The court has stated that Kejriwal will have to surrender on June 2, after the last day of voting on June 1 and before the results are announced on June 4. [Extracted from the article]

India's Supreme Court has granted interim bail to Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until the end of the ongoing elections, allowing him to campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. Kejriwal is facing allegations of money laundering in relation to a now-scrapped liquor sales tax scheme in Delhi and was arrested in March. Despite calls from the BJP for his resignation, Kejriwal has been running his government from prison. The court has stated that Kejriwal will have to surrender on June 2, after the last day of voting on June 1 and before the results are announced on June 4. [Extracted from the article]

Delhi's Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has had his arrest upheld by an Indian court. Kejriwal, a key leader in the opposition alliance against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, was arrested by the federal anti-money laundering agency in relation to a now-scrapped liquor sales tax scheme in Delhi. Kejriwal had petitioned the court, arguing that his arrest and incarceration undermine democracy and fair elections. He now has the option to appeal the decision before the Supreme Court. Several senior leaders of Kejriwal's party have also been arrested over allegations of corruption, which they deny. [Extracted from the article]

Canada's finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, has proposed tax relief measures for small breweries in the country. The government plans to cap the inflation adjustment for excise taxes on domestically produced beer, spirits, and wine at 2% for the next two years, instead of the previously planned increase to 4.7%. Additionally, the excise duty rate on the first 15,000 hectoliters of beer brewed in Canada will be cut in half for two years, providing craft brewers with an average of about C$87,000 in tax relief. These changes, which still need to be passed in Parliament, come after lobbying efforts from the beer industry and calls from taxpayer groups and associations to prevent automatic tax hikes. The proposed measures are expected to cost the government C$153 million over two years. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on the developments in the liquor industry in the U.S. in 1967. The affirmation law in New York that is intended to lower liquor prices in New York is having implication in several other states. The law has resulted in price discrepancies as liquor is marketed under several different set of regulations. Adjustments in brand prices to wholesalers are taking place in almost every market. The industry is also facing an increase in excise taxes and other fees.

The AAP joined several other opposition groups in June to form an alliance and oppose Modi's party in five state elections later this year and the national vote in 2024. (Bloomberg) -- India widened its crackdown on critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government with the arrest of an opposition lawmaker from a party governing Delhi. [Extracted from the article]

Read More: Dubai Ends Hefty Alcohol Tax to Boost Business and Tourism Tourists from Western Europe accounted for about a fifth of international visitors, with Russia, former Soviet states and Eastern Europe contributing 14%. (Bloomberg) -- Dubai reported a record number of tourist arrivals in the first half of the year, topping levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and helping push hotel room rates to a fresh high. The city reported 8.55 million international overnight visitors, up 20% from the first half of last year and more than the 8.36 million tourists who visited during the same period in 2019. [Extracted from the article]

This article examines the health-care reform plan of U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1993. The ambitious mission to remake the country's health system is in serious trouble. The cause: a benefit scheme so generous that the Clinton administration cannot figure out how to finance their plan without jeopardizing the middle-class support so vital to enactment. The task force suddenly finds itself with a huge gap to fill and only one option with any public appeal at all: more taxes on alcohol and tobacco. The confusion over financing health-care reform would not end soon. Clinton will face a sizable tax gap, with few attractive options for filling it. INSET: It's not working. We need change. But don't..., by Maria....

The article reports on issues about the increase in local taxes in the U.S. It discusses the assessment of old and revenue sources by state and city governments because of the increase in their operating costs. It notes that states and cities increase their old revenue standbys and branch out into untapped sources to find more money. It shows that gross receipt taxes and sale taxes target alcoholic beverages, utility services, motor fuels, and tobacco products.

(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said the UK economy will avoid a recession this year as the outlook improves, giving the Treasury a potential boost. "The UK economy is on the right track", Hunt said in his budget speech to Parliament in London on Wednesday. [Extracted from the article]

Inflation in Kenya averaged 7.7% in 2022, the fastest pace of consumer-price growth in five years, according to the nation's statistics office, pointing to homes having less disposable income available for non-essential spending. (Bloomberg) -- Diageo Plc's Kenyan unit's first-half profit declined after the government increased taxes on its key products, dampening demand in a market already reeling from inflationary pressures. [Extracted from the article]

This section offers news briefs on the business sector as of January 2023. A nuclear official in Ukraine called for the recapture of the biggest atomic plant in Kyiv. Enterprise software company Salesforce.com plans to reduce its workforce by 8,000 employees. The government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has eliminated its alcohol sales tax in a bid to bolster its status as a tourism and business destination.

Dubai set out a 32 trillion-dirham ($8.7 trillion) economic plan on Wednesday that includes doubling foreign trade and investment over the next decade to boost its standing as a global financial hub. Dubai is also seeking to attract foreign direct investment of around 60 billion dirhams annually, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid tweeted. [Extracted from the article]

Dubai kicked off the new year by scrapping a 30% tax on alcohol sales and making liquor licenses free, in an apparent move to bolster its status as the Middle East's leading business and tourism hub. While taxes from alcohol sales have been an important source of revenue for Dubai's government, the impact of reducing them could be offset by a 9% federal corporate tax that's set to start in from June. [Extracted from the article]

Dubai kicked off the new year by scrapping a 30% tax on alcohol sales and making liquor licenses free, in an apparent move to bolster its status as the Middle East's leading business and tourism hub. Taxes from alcohol sales have been an important source of revenue for Dubai's government. [Extracted from the article]

Japan's health ministry said that while it wasn't involved in the campaign, it understood the spirit of the promotion was in line with its view that people should "drink responsibly." (Bloomberg) -- A campaign by Japan's tax agency to prop up alcohol revenue by encouraging young people to drink up has met fierce backlash on social media, with users criticizing the taxman for dictating people's lifestyle choices. [Extracted from the article]

Australia adjusts the excise on beer under a formula linked to inflation, which in the most recent reading climbed at the fastest annual pace in 21 years. (Bloomberg) -- Australian drinkers woke up to more than a hangover on Monday as accelerating inflation and a quirk in the tax system sent the price of beer surging. Escalating consumer prices are likely to see the Reserve Bank of Australia push ahead with further interest rate increases after 125 basis points of hikes in three meetings since May. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- A U.S. Treasury examination of competition in the nation's beer industry concluded the market remains dominated by two players -- despite an explosion of small-sized brewers in recent decades -- and troubled by complaints about restrictive practices in distribution chains. Still, two brewers -- Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and Molson Coors Beverage Co. -- account for about 65% of the beer market, based on revenue. [Extracted from the article]

(Bloomberg) -- Shares of Britain's pub operators rallied as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced lower taxes on beer in his autumn budget. The budget brought a double boost for the pub trade, with Sunak also announcing a 50% business rates discount for the hospitality and leisure, and retail sectors. [Extracted from the article]

The budget brought a double boost for the pub trade, with Sunak also announcing a 50% business rates discount for the hospitality and leisure, and retail sectors. (Bloomberg) -- Shares of Britain's pub operators rallied as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced lower taxes on beer in his autumn budget. [Extracted from the article]

That's the amount the Office for Budget Responsibility projected in March that the tax take from alcohol duties will rise by next tax year. (Bloomberg) -- Britain's teetotal finance minister is under pressure to forego hundreds of millions of pounds of alcohol taxes in a bid to boost pubs, clubs and bars that have suffered because of coronavirus restrictions. [Extracted from the article]

When you're the hundredth bottle, you have 99 competitors", says Andy Fennell, a London-based liquor consultant, explaining his reasons for investing in Träkál after being connected to Goméz through a mutual friend. Nate Wilson, a 30-year-old web developer in Denver who was interviewed drinking a few Träkál cocktails at Denver's Retrograde, characterizes it as both complex and subtle. Chicago's Time Out Market - where two of its bar's 11 cocktails include Träkál - just hosted a Träkál showcase in September. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses alcoholism bills sponsored by Democratic State Senator Arlen Gregorio that aims to load more tax on liquors in order to tout temperance.

Reports on the opposition faced by President Bill Clinton's policy of taxing the alcohol, tobacco and gambling industries. Potential economic damage of imposing more taxes on the `sin industries'; Lobbying efforts of the sin industry; Political motivations behind the government's failure to enact the proposed tax hikes.

Reports how, on state and federal levels, a bold new temperance movement is making life hell for spirits makers. Efforts of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a national consumer group, that is working with local communities to eliminate alcohol billboard advertisements; Legislative bill in the U.S. Congress-- the Sensible Advertising & Family Education Act-- that were to pass in its present form; Consideration by the state governments to introduce another round of alcohol taxes, which many politicians see as easy ways to raise revenues while at the same time appealing to the anti-alcohol lobby; Promotional campaign by most liquor companies that if U. S. consumers are drinking less, they should be drinking better. INSET: The spirits U.S. drinkers are pouring.;Liquor industry....

The article reports on the efforts of Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Department to reduce the number of out-of-state buyers who do not pay the tax rates for distilled whisky in Arkansas.

The article reports on Distilled Spirits Association of the Philippines president Olivia Limpe-Aw's opposition to the proposed increase in liquor taxes in the Philippines. Topics discussed include Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to raise liquor tax to partly finance a free health-care program, the Congress' debate on the proposed tax increases, and the adverse impact of the proposed tax increases on the local liquor industry.

First, Estonia announced it would reverse tax increases on alcohol after they hurt sales and dented budget revenue. "The volume of alcohol purchased in Estonia will rise and the share of alcohol purchased in Latvia will definitely decline", Finance Minister Martin Helme declared confidently on Monday to public broadcaster ERR. [Extracted from the article]

Comments on a Rand Corp. study about the external costs of smoking and drinking in the U.S. Overview of the external cost argument; Ignorance of many smokers of the risks they are incurring; Sensitivity of teenagers to the disincentive effects of high tobacco taxes.

Comments on the proposal of some economists to raise the taxation of smoking, drinking and gambling as a solution to federal budget deficit in the United States. Reasons why lotteries are highly taxed; Effects on the poor; Comparison between the tax rates on cigarettes, beer and wine and on lotteries; Claim that taxes on lotteries and smoking are too high compared with taxes on other consumer activities.

Reports on a Rand Corp. study led by economist Williard G. Manning of the University of Michigan about the external costs of smoking and drinking in the U.S. Distinction between social cost of smoking and heavy drinking; Expenses incurred by smokers; Claim that taxes on alcohol are too low.

The author suggests several ways to raise about $40 billion annually by 1990 or 1991 through levies that make the economy more efficient and the tax system more equitable. He recommends collecting higher taxes to discourage smoking. He adds that taxes on beer and wine should be increased to the alcohol-equivalent rate imposed on distilled spirits.

The article reports that the United States Congress is planning to raise excise levies on liquor and cigarettes in an effort to meet deficit-reduction targets. According to the authors, tax increases are also being considered on gasoline and long-distance telephone service. The authors assert that Congress will not even come close to meeting the 1988 deficit target without new levies, which makes its likely that tax levies will be implemented.

This article presents the results of a survey, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1993, on health care reform in the U.S. The poll found that Americans were willing to pay higher taxes to insure health care for all. The favorite levies include stiff tax hikes on alcohol and cigarettes and a new tax on doctors, hospitals and insurers.

The article reports on the proposal of Kentucky Governor Simeon Willis to reinstate the taxation on alcohol manufactured for war use in the state in March 1945.

The article reports the decision of National Distillers and Schenley to waive the legal preliminaries and narrow the issues to fundamental law thus paving the way for the discharge a jury in a Pennsylvania lawsuit on collection of floor taxes.

The article reports on the plan by the U.S. Congress to approve legislation that will reduce liquor taxes in a bid to increase revenue.