Alcohol consumption drops by 20-30%

Rs. 100 billion spent on treating diseases caused by alcohol and tobacco

By Saman Indrajith

Sri Lanka’s alcohol consumption had fallen by between 20 and 30 percent in 2022, compared to last year, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said during a function at the Excise Department on Wednesday (28).He said that the rise in prices in alcohol was the main reason for the drop.State Minister Siyambalapitiya said that at present taxes accounted for about 75 percent of the prices of alcohol. In the case of cigarettes, taxes amounted to 65 and 75 percent of the prices. He pointed out that a number of anti-narcotic campaigners had urged him to raise the ratio to 90 percent.

The State Minister said that the government was taking steps to curb the country’s illegal alcohol industry.

“Sri Lanka spends about 100 billion rupees annually to treat those with alcohol and tobacco related diseases,” Siyambalapitiya said.