Slowdown in Liquor Imports
A new study indicates that the trend among Swedes to buy much cheaper alcohol abroad may be easing.
But the University of Stockholm researcher who conducted the survey says it is too early to make any predictions.
During the last couple of years, after neighboring Denmark and Finland lowered their alcohol taxes and the nearby Baltic republics joined the European Union, many Swedes have been avoiding this country’s restrictive policies by stocking up abroad. Sales at the state liquor liquor stores plummeted and a government report proposed cutting alcohol taxes here by 40 percent to save the retail monopoly.
According to the new study, private imports of wine and spirits were 30 percent lower during the first three months of this year, compared to 2004. But researcher Björn Trolldal says the period was too short to see any trends, and points out that much more alcohol is bought during the coming summer months.
