New beer laws. Beer Law: Recent Changes

beer law

Beer has received the official status of an alcoholic beverage

In fact, beer used to belong to alcoholic products. So, until July 2012, food products with a strength of more than 1.5 percent were considered alcoholic. Starting from July 2012, food products with a strength of more than 0.5 percent will be recognized as alcoholic products. This is stated in subparagraph 7 of Article 2 of Federal Law No. 171-FZ of November 22, 1995, as amended by Federal Law No. 218-FZ of July 18, 11 (hereinafter referred to as Law No. 171-FZ). It turns out that most types of beer initially fell under this definition.

But before, beer was not singled out as separate species alcohol. From July 2012, beer and drinks based on it will be recognized as independent types of alcoholic products along with wine and vodka. In addition, three new definitions have appeared: for beer, for drinks made on the basis of beer, and also for wort (Subclauses 13.1, 13.2 and 13.3 of Article 2 of Law No. 171-FZ) (for simplicity, further by beer we mean not only beer itself, but also drinks made on its basis).

In addition, from July 22, 2011, the rule was abolished, according to which the operation of Law No. 171-FZ did not apply to the production and circulation of beer. All of these amendments mean that the requirements and restrictions for spirits generally apply to beer. Note that the same point of view is reflected in the informational explanation of Rosalkogolregulirovanie.

No beer licenses required

The wholesale sale of beer, unlike a number of other types of alcohol, does not require a license. The retail sale of beer is also exempt from licensing. This directly follows from paragraph 1 of Article 18 of Law No. 171-FZ.

Who can sell beer

Both organizations and individual entrepreneurs. As for the wholesale trade in beer, it is allowed only for legal entities. This rule is established by paragraph 1 of Article 11

Where can you sell beer

From July 22, 2011 to December 31, 2012 inclusive, beer, the strength of which does not exceed 5 percent, can be sold at retail both in stationary and non-stationary facilities (stalls, tents, pavilions, etc.). Beer with a strength of more than 5 percent can only be traded in stationary trading facilities.

From January 1, 2013, any beer, regardless of strength, will be allowed to be sold exclusively through stationary facilities.

In addition, there is a list of places where you can not sell any alcoholic beverages, including beer. These are children's, educational, medical organizations, sports facilities, as well as territories adjacent to them. This also includes wholesale and retail markets, railway stations, airports and other places of mass gathering of citizens and finding sources of increased danger. Also under the ban are military installations, territories adjacent to them, all types of public transport, stops, gas stations and cultural organizations. This list is given in paragraph 2 of Article 16 of Law No. 171-FZ and has been in force since July 22, 2011.

Area restrictions

There are no restrictions on the area of ​​the retail facility for the sale of beer. In other words, if a company or an entrepreneur is exclusively engaged in the beer trade, they can use any, even the smallest store.

But if there are other alcoholic drinks besides beer on the counter, from July 2012 certain conditions will have to be observed. So, in the city, the total area of ​​​​the store and warehouse in which such drinks are sold must be at least 50 square meters, in rural areas - at least 25 square meters.

When can you sell beer?

From July 22, 2011 to December 31, 2012 inclusive, beer with a strength of not more than 5 percent can be sold at retail around the clock. Beer over 5% ABV cannot be traded between 2300 and 0800 local time.

From January 1, 2013, the retail sale of any beer, including low-alcohol beer, will be prohibited between 23.00 and 08.00 (clause 5, article 16 of Law No. 171-FZ).

Application of CCP

In general, from July 22, 2011 to December 31, 2012 inclusive, retail sales of beer with a strength of 5 percent or less do not require cash registers. Merchants of beer over 5 percent ABV are required to use CCP. From January 1, 2013, cash registers will be required for the retail sale of any beer, regardless of its strength (clause 6, article 16 of Law No. 171-FZ).

An exception is provided for payers of a single tax on imputed income. They have the right to choose: either use a CCP or issue, at the request of buyers, documents confirming the receipt of money (clause 2.1, article 2 of Federal Law No. 54-FZ of May 22, 2003). This means that scammers can do without cash registers, even if they sell strong beer in 2012, and any beer in 2013. This point of view was confirmed by the tax authorities and specialists of the Ministry of Finance of Russia in a letter dated August 17, 2011 No. AC-4-2 / [email protected].

Region Restrictions

Regional authorities have the right to establish additional restrictions on the time, conditions and places of retail sale of alcohol up to a complete ban. For organizations selling alcoholic beverages, the constituent entities of the Russian Federation may introduce requirements for the minimum amount of paid authorized capital, but not more than 1 million rubles.

For example, in the Moscow Region, Law No. 10/13-P dated April 19, 2012 was adopted. It states that it is impossible to sell alcohol, including strong beer, from 21.00 to 11.00, that is, 5 hours longer than under Law No. 171-FZ. For beer with a strength of 5 percent or less, this restriction only applies from January 1, 2013. Minimum size the authorized capital for companies near Moscow selling alcohol from 2014 should be 500 thousand rubles.

Catering enterprises

Many restrictions do not apply to organizations and entrepreneurs who provide services Catering. In particular, they are not prohibited from selling beer in cultural organizations, markets, railway stations, airports and other places of mass gatherings of citizens and sources of increased danger.

In addition, public catering outlets can sell beer of any strength outside a stationary trade facility, without the use of cash registers and around the clock.

Finally, for public catering organizations, regional authorities are not entitled to set a lower bar in terms of the size of the authorized capital.

Penalties for violations related to the sale of beer

Trading in strong beer (since 2013 - any beer) without the use of cash registers can result in an administrative fine. Its size for organizations is from 30 thousand to 40 thousand rubles, for officials and entrepreneurs - from 3 thousand to 4 thousand rubles, for citizens - from 1.5 thousand to 2 thousand rubles (part 2 of article 14.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Penalties for selling beer at the wrong time and in the wrong place are: for organizations - from 30 thousand to 40 thousand rubles, for officials and individual entrepreneurs - from 3 thousand to 4 thousand rubles. Plus, beer can be confiscated (part 3 of article 14.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

administrative penalty for retail sale beer for minors is: for organizations from 80 thousand to 100 thousand rubles, for officials and individual entrepreneurs - from 10 thousand to 20 thousand rubles, and for citizens from 3 thousand to 5 thousand rubles (part 2.1 of Art. 14.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). Criminal liability for the repeated retail sale of beer to minors is a fine of 80,000 to 100,000 rubles, or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of six months. Instead of a fine, they can assign corrective labor up to one year and deprive them of the right to hold a certain position or engage in certain activities for up to three years (Article 151.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Sooner or later, any entrepreneur wonders about the rules of law governing his type of activity. After all, there is responsibility for violation of the established rules, and often quite severe, and ignorance of the law, as you know, does not exempt from this responsibility. Retail trade in beer and beer-based drinks is no exception.

So, what laws govern the activities of beer shops?

Help us sort this out in the first place, the federal law No. 171-FZ of November 22, 1995 (hereinafter referred to as the Law), also often referred to as the “main alcohol law”. This legal act establishes the basic rules for the production, circulation and consumption of alcoholic products. At the same time, the legislator outlined a number of significant differences between the sale of alcohol in general and the retail sale of beer in particular.

First important feature trade in beer is an acceptable legal form of the seller. While the sale of strong alcohol is carried out only by organizations (exceptions are wines and champagne sold by the manufacturer), for the retail sale of beer, cider, poiret, mead and other beer-based drinks, the Law in paragraph 1 of Art. 16 also allows individual entrepreneurs. But it should be especially noted that this only applies to retail, wholesale, according to general rule, enshrined in paragraph 1 of Art. 11 is also carried out exclusively by organizations.

The second feature of this type of activity is that, according to paragraph 1 of Art. 18 of the Law, it is not subject to licensing.

Organizations and individual entrepreneurs engaged in the retail sale of beer, as a general rule, are required to be connected to the EGAIS system, but only to confirm the purchase of wholesale lots of goods from legal manufacturers and suppliers. But confirmation of the sale of each bottle, as in the case of strong alcohol and wine, is not required when selling beer.

According to the norms of the Federal Law No. 54-FZ of May 22, 2003, to sell draft or bottled beer, the seller is obliged to use a cash register. However, Federal Law No. 278-FZ of July 29, 2017 provides a delay until July 1, 2018 for catering establishments on UTII or a patent.

P. 2 Art. 16 of the Law as amended in 2017 establishes the rules for the sale of draft beer and beer in general in the form of a number of prohibitions:

- Selling beer to minors is prohibited i.e. persons under the age of 18. In this case, in case of doubt about the age of the buyer, the seller has the right to demand from him a document confirming the age of majority. Such documents, according to the Order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade No. 1728 dated May 31, 2017, include a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, a foreign passport, a temporary identity card, a sailor's passport, a diplomatic passport, a military ID, a driver's license, a fan ID (Fan ID), etc.

- Remote sale of beer is prohibited , including through the Internet.

- It is forbidden to sell beer in polymer consumer packaging (PET) with a volume of more than 1500 ml.

- The sale of beer is prohibited in the following places:

In premises owned or used by organizations engaged in educational, medical activities, activities in the region as the main (statutory) type of activity;

in sports facilities;

In wholesale and retail markets;

In all types of public transport and at gas stations;

At the locations of troops, military formations and bodies providing defense and security Russian Federation, and in the adjacent territories;

At railway stations and airports;

In places where sources of increased danger are located;

In places of mass congestion of citizens during public events;

On the territories adjacent to educational, medical organizations, as well as to sports facilities.

However, for organizations selling beer while providing catering services, the Law provides for a number of exceptions. Thus, the sale of draft and bottled beer within the provision of catering services is allowed in the premises of concert and theater halls, parks, territories adjacent to sports facilities, wholesale and retail markets, gas stations, railway stations, airports and territories adjacent to them.

- The sale of beer in non-stationary facilities is prohibited. The stationarity of an object is determined by the impossibility of moving it without disproportionate harm to its purpose. The object must have a strong connection with the land in the form of a foundation and connection to the main communications. At the same time, the connection must be not only physical, but also legal: the building must be entered in the real estate register. The law does not establish restrictions on the area of ​​\u200b\u200ba retail facility. Thus, it is impossible to sell draft and bottled beer in stalls, kiosks, pavilions and other temporary structures. This ban also does not apply to catering establishments.

P. 9 Art. 16 sets the time frame for the sale of alcoholic products . So, at the federal level, a ban on the sale of alcohol from 23 pm to 8 am next day by local time. This ban does not apply to public catering - cafes and restaurants, as well as to duty-free shops of the "duty free" type. At the same time, federal legislation establishes the right of local authorities to introduce stricter limits on the time of sale of alcohol on their territory, up to a complete ban on sales. On this moment in Moscow and the Moscow region, federal norms apply.

Violation of these rules is an administrative offense and entails liability. At the same time, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses distinguishes three types of persons for whom different limits of punishment are established - individuals (seller), officials (individual entrepreneur or head of an organization), and legal entities.

Violation of the rules for the use of cash registers (part 2 of article 14.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails the imposition of a fine on officials in the amount of from 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount of the calculation carried out without the use of cash registers, but not less than 10 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 3/4 to 1 of the amount of the amount of the settlement carried out using cash Money and (or) electronic means of payment without the use of cash registers, but not less than 30 thousand rubles

Violation when declaring turnovers (15.13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) as non-compliance with the procedure for filing a declaration, missing the deadline for submitting the declaration or reflecting inaccurate information in the declaration entails the imposition of a fine on officials from 5 to 10 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 50 to 100 thousand rubles.

Violation of accounting for the production and turnover of beer products (14.19 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails the imposition of a fine on officials from 10 to 15 thousand rubles with or without confiscation of products; for legal entities - from 150 to 200 thousand rubles with or without confiscation of products.

Sale of beer in PET containers with a volume of more than 1500 milliliters (clause 4 of article 14.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails the imposition of a fine on officials from 100 to 200 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 300 to 500 thousand rubles.

Violation of special requirements and rules for the retail sale of alcoholic products (part 3 of article 14.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails the imposition of a fine on officials from 20 to 40 thousand rubles with or without confiscation of products; for legal entities - from 100 to 300 thousand rubles with or without confiscation of products.

Sale of beer to minors (part 2.1 of article 14.16 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) entails the imposition of a fine on individuals from 30 to 50 thousand rubles; for officials - from 100 to 200 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 300 to 500 thousand rubles.

In this case, the case may not be limited to administrative responsibility. Art. 151.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes criminal liability for retail sale of alcoholic products to minors, committed repeatedly. An act is recognized as such if the seller has already been brought to administrative responsibility for a similar act within 180 days. This article establishes liability in the form of a fine in the amount of fifty thousand to eighty thousand rubles or in the amount of the salary or other income of the convicted person for a period of three to six months, or correctional labor for up to one year with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years or without it. It should be noted that only an individual can be held liable under this article.

Beer, as well as cider, poiret, mead, and other beer-based drinks, are alcoholic products. When selling beer, it is necessary to take into account the rules governing the sale of alcohol, but with some peculiarities. Interested in this line of business? Then read our article, in which we will talk about the most important issues when trading beer and beer drinks:

• can an individual entrepreneur sell beer;
• Do you need a license to sell beer?
• what restrictions exist when selling beer;
• do beer sellers need to connect to EGAIS;
• when a cash register is not needed when selling beer;
• what OKVED codes to choose for the sale of beer;
• What kind of sales reports do you need to submit?

Can an individual entrepreneur start selling beer

We will immediately answer that individual entrepreneurs have the right to sell beer. Why does such a question arise at all? Are there any prohibitions on the sale of alcohol related to the legal form of the seller (IP or LLC)? There really is such a ban, it is established by article 16 of the law of November 22, 1995 No. 171-FZ.

According to it, only organizations are allowed to sell strong alcohol. Why this is so is not explained, but the fact remains - only legal entities have the right to trade in spirits and wines. An exception is made only for individual entrepreneurs - agricultural producers who sell wines and champagne of their own production.

Regarding the sale of beer, the same article states that "Retail sale of beer and beer drinks, cider, poiret, mead is carried out by organizations and individual entrepreneurs." Please note - this is a retail sale! The fact is that there is also the norm of Article 11 of Law No. 171-FZ, and it also allows the wholesale circulation of alcohol and beer only to legal entities.

Thus, individual entrepreneurs have the right to sell beer and drinks based on it only at retail. And in order to produce and sell beer without restrictions, you need to register a company.

Do I need a license to sell beer?

And here everything is simple - a license to sell beer is not required. Again we read Law No. 171-FZ, Article 18 on extradition: "... with the exception of the production and circulation of beer and beer drinks, cider, poiret, mead." So, selling beer without a license in 2019 does not threaten anything, no sanctions are provided for this. True, certain restrictions and requirements for organizing the sale of beer still exist, and we will talk about them further.

Conditions for the sale of beer

This is perhaps the most important information that you should familiarize yourself with before organizing a beer trade. Given that beer is an alcoholic beverage, it is understandable that it should not be available at any place and time.

Beer alcoholism develops quickly and imperceptibly, which is especially dangerous for children and women. And if for beer dealers large sales volumes are profit, then buyers of a foamy drink pay with their health for its immoderate consumption. We must be sympathetic to the prohibitions established in Article 16 of Law No. 171-FZ, in the end they act for the benefit of the whole society.

• children's, educational and medical institutions;
• sports and cultural facilities;
• public transport of all types and its stops;
• markets, railway stations, airports and other places of mass congestion of citizens (with the exception of catering establishments);
• military installations.

2. Beer can only be sold in stationary retail facilities, so the building must have a foundation and be entered in the real estate register. That is, temporary structures such as stalls and kiosks are not suitable for selling beer, with the exception of catering establishments. As for the area of ​​the retail facility, if strong alcohol is sold in addition to beer, then the restriction applies:

• at least 50 sq. m. in cities
• at least 25 sq. m. in the countryside.

When trading only beer, there are no restrictions on the area.

3. The time for selling beer is limited to the period from 8 am to 11 pm, except for public catering outlets.

• seller - from 30 to 50 thousand rubles;
• official (individual entrepreneur or head of organization) - from 100 to 200 thousand rubles;
• legal entity - from 300 to 500 thousand rubles;

If there is any doubt about the age of the buyer, the seller must request an identity document. In addition, criminal liability is also possible for the sale of beer to minors. Be aware that the police often stage surveillance raids involving young people in order to instigate such an illegal sale. It is better to play it safe and ask for a passport, even if the buyer looks old enough.

5. Since January 1, 2017, the production and wholesale trade are prohibited, and from July 1, 2017, the retail sale of beer bottled in plastic containers with a volume of more than 1.5 liters. Penalties for violation: from 100 to 200 thousand rubles for individual entrepreneurs and from 300 to 500 thousand rubles for legal entities.

6. Additional restrictions on the sale of beer may be established by local authorities. Yes, in many municipalities the sale of beer in retail outlets located in multi-apartment residential buildings is prohibited. We recommend that before you start selling beer, find out all the rules in the local administration or the Federal Tax Service.

EGAIS - sale of beer

EGAIS is state system control over the production and circulation of alcohol. Do I need EGAIS to sell beer? Yes, of course, but in a limited format. Organizations and individual entrepreneurs purchasing beer for further retail sales are required to connect to the system for years only to confirm the purchases of wholesale lots from legal producers and suppliers.

To connect to EGAIS, you need to get a special electronic signature and register on the official website of Rosalkogolregulirovanie. We described in detail how to do this. After registration in the system, the buyer receives his identification number (ID), and the supplier draws up invoices for him, reflecting them in EGAIS. After the consignment of goods is accepted by the buyer, the supplier writes off the delivered products from their balances in the Unified State Automated Information System, and it is fixed for the buyer.

Confirmation of the fact of the sale of each bottle of beer, as is the case with strong alcohol and wine, is not required, therefore, the sale of beer through EGAIS is easier to process than other alcoholic beverages. The main thing here is to confirm that the wholesale batch of beer was purchased legally.

Please note that selling beer without a cash register is punishable separately under Article 14.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation:

• for individual entrepreneurs and heads of organizations - from ¼ to ½ of the calculation amount, but not less than 10,000 rubles;
• for organizations - from ¾ to the full amount of the calculation amount, but not less than 30,000 rubles.

New OKVED codes for beer trade

Please note that when registering individual entrepreneurs and LLCs, only the classifier is used. To indicate the types of activities related to the sale of beer, use the new OKVED codes of 2019.

For wholesale trade in beer:

• 46.34.2: Wholesale trade alcoholic drinks, including beer and edible ethyl alcohol;
• 46.34.23: Wholesale of beer;
• 46.17.23: Activities of beer wholesale agents.

For retail beer:

• 47.25.1: Retail sale of alcoholic beverages, including beer, in specialized stores;
• 47.25.12: Retail sale of beer in specialized stores.
• 47.11.2: Retail sale of non-frozen products, including drinks and tobacco products, in non-specialized stores;

For the sale of beer in public catering:

• 56.30: activities of bars, taverns, cocktail halls, discos and dance floors (with a predominant service of drinks), beer bars, buffets, phyto-bars, drinks vending machines.

Important: if you registered an individual entrepreneur or LLC before July 11, 2016, then you do not need to make any changes to the codes, the Federal Tax Service will independently correlate your old and new OKVED codes entered in the registers.

But if you decide to start selling beer after mid-2016, and the corresponding codes were not entered immediately upon registration, then you need to report a new type of activity using the forms (for individual entrepreneurs) and P13001 or P14001 (). In this case, indicate the codes according to OKVED-2, as indicated above.

Accounting for the sale of beer

From January 1, 2016, sellers of alcoholic products, including beer, are required to keep a register of retail sales. The form of the journal and the procedure for filling it out are approved by Order of the Federal Alcohol Regulatory Agency dated June 19, 2015 No. 164.

The journal must be completed daily, no later than the next day after the sale of each container or package of alcohol, including beer. At the end of each day, sales data is filled in: name, product type code, volume and quantity. This is what a sample magazine looks like posted on the site state organization FSUE "TsentrInform", which issues an electronic signature for connection to the Unified State Automated Information System.

For the absence of a journal or its incorrect maintenance, a fine is imposed - from 10 to 15 thousand rubles for individual entrepreneurs and from 150 to 200 thousand rubles for organizations.

In addition, following the results of each quarter, no later than the 20th day of the next month (April 20, July, October, January, respectively), a declaration on the turnover of beer in the form No. 12 must be submitted to Rosalkogolregulirovanie. August 9, 2012 No. 815.

Let's summarize:

1. Not only organizations, but also individual entrepreneurs can sell beer, however, only retail for final consumption.
2. A license to sell beer is not required.
3. Consider the statutory prohibitions on the place, time and circle of buyers when selling beer.
4. It is impossible to legally purchase a batch of beer for further sale without connecting to EGAIS, so you need to register on the Rosalkogolregulirovanie website. After that, the system will need to confirm the fact of the purchase of the batch each time and reflect the remaining products.
5. From March 31, 2017, the sale of beer, including in public catering, is possible only with the use of a cash register, regardless of the tax regime.
6. From July 11, 2016, only OKVED-2 applies for registration purposes. Specify OKVED codes for the sale of beer from our selection, they correspond to the current classifier.
7. Keep a log book for alcohol retail and submit declarations on the sale of beer in a timely manner.

On January 1, 2017, a number of changes came into effect that will affect the sale of alcohol. Officials have restricted the sale of beer in plastic bottles, which will have a significant impact on the industry. At the same time, the sale of alcohol will be carried out within the framework of the Unified State Automated Information System. By July, fixing the alcohol trade will become mandatory not only for cities, but also for small towns.

Sale of alcohol: key changes since January 1, 2017

Legislators have banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in PET containers, the volume of which exceeds 1.5 liters. At the same time, the restrictions apply to the entire range of products, although initially it was supposed to limit only the sale of beer. Also, legislators allowed the maximum capacity of containers to be reduced to 0.5 liters, however, in the course of further discussions, they abandoned this idea.

At first next year the production and wholesale trade of alcohol in appropriate packaging is limited. The retail ban comes into effect in the second half of 2017.

Violations of the adopted law are fraught with serious fines. If the volume of the bottle exceeds the established norms, then the fine for the organization will be 300-500 thousand rubles. In addition, officials will have to pay an additional 100-200 thousand rubles. penalties. In such conditions, from January 1, 2017, the production of alcohol in plastic containers that do not meet the standards will lead to serious costs.

The officials' initiative is aimed at improving the quality of alcoholic products. The release of alcohol in "large" plastic bottles allowed many companies to violate production technologies, which was reflected in consumer properties products. As a result of the consumption of such products, a threat to the health of citizens was created, representatives of the authorities noted.

Alcohol producers are skeptical about the officials' initiative. First of all, the new rules will have a negative impact on beer sales in 2017.

Tighter rules for manufacturers

Since 2017, several additions to the rules will be introduced that relate to producers of alcoholic beverages. As a reminder, today they are:

- only legal entities can produce alcohol;

- production areas must meet all standards and be leased or owned. Moreover, the lease agreement cannot be concluded for a period of less than one year.

Now it is specifically stipulated that these premises should be exclusively of a stationary type.

From 2017, late payment of administrative fines will become grounds for refusal to issue a license or its suspension. This is a fairly strict rule that has not been practiced before.

Also, government agencies will have the opportunity to conduct unscheduled inspections of manufacturers, based on only one analysis of the documentation obtained during the control.

Position of domestic brewers

The decision of legislators to limit PET containers will deal a significant blow to Russian brewers. Industry representatives have not yet recovered from the economic crisis and continue to experience significant financial difficulties. In addition, innovations will affect related industries that provide the production of plastic bottles.

In addition to entrepreneurs, negative consequences regional budgets will face, which will receive less of a significant part of the revenues. At the same time, the arguments of officials who intend to limit the volume of PET containers look rather controversial. Manufacturers do not see a direct relationship between product quality and the volume of plastic bottles. If legislators intend to take care of the health of citizens, then to achieve this goal, it is enough to strengthen control over compliance with production technology.

Under such conditions, market participants turned to Vladimir Putin for support. Without government assistance, many companies will not be able to fulfill their obligations and will be on the verge of bankruptcy.

In addition, domestic brewers were forced to join the EGAIS program, which required significant investments from business representatives.

Features of EGAIS

Trade in alcoholic products should be carried out within the framework of the Unified State Automated Information System, which will remain relevant from January 1, 2017. This automatic accounting mechanism allows you to track the movement and sale of alcohol in real time, which is effective way fight against the shadow market.

The point of sale of alcoholic beverages must be equipped with a special scanner that recognizes information from each bottle and transmits information to single base data. In addition, for added security, a 2D barcode has been developed that is printed on every receipt. Using this information, the consumer can verify the authenticity of the purchased products.

The use of EGAIS allows you to improve the quality control of alcoholic products at each stage of implementation. Another issue that worried officials was the increase in budget revenues. With the help of this mechanism, sales of "shadow" alcohol are reduced, which increases tax revenues.

For business representatives, the transition to the use of EGAIS was associated with significant difficulties. Manufacturers were forced to increase their costs for timely data transmission. Given the difficult financial situation of many companies during the crisis, additional investment came as an unpleasant surprise for most of them. At the same time, business representatives had no choice; work without the use of EGAIS is fraught with serious fines.

In 2017, changes will come into effect that will affect the alcohol trade. Including from July 1, 2017, the production of beer and other alcohol in PET containers, the volume of which exceeds one and a half liters, is prohibited.

This measure is aimed at improving the quality of products, officials say. In turn, business representatives consider such innovations harmful for the development of the alcohol industry.

In addition, the sale of alcohol should be carried out within the framework of the Unified State Automated Information System. Automated system Accounting allows you to reduce the volume of the shadow market and increase control over the authenticity of alcoholic products.

Failure to comply with the established norms will lead to serious fines, the amounts of which reach 0.5 million rubles.

Selling alcohol online

Continues to be illegal in 2017, but the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation proposed to solve it step by step this question. They plan to start with the legalization of sales of wine products with protected geographical names as well as beer and mead. Most likely it will be from next year, and, from 2019, it will be possible to legally trade on the Internet with any labeled alcohol. Naturally, provided that the entrepreneur receives permits with a license and registers with EGAIS.

From alcohol to healthy lifestyle

The government took care of the way of life of the Russians and decided to take care of its improvement. On the website of the Cabinet of Ministers, a project was published with the loud title “Formation healthy lifestyle life." According to the plan, the number of adherents of a healthy lifestyle should increase from the current 36 to 60 percent in just three years. Therefore, it can be assumed that the rules for the sale of alcohol in 2017 and subsequent years will be tightened, and prices for it will rise.