Like tobacco, state may control alcohol sales

Retail

Following the Hungarian government’s introduction of national tobacco stores, Parliament is now planning to introduce national beverage stores, reducing the number of places where alcoholic beverages can be purchased and controlling those sales, Hungarian online daily napi.hu reported today.

Unanimous sources confirmed that the concept of national alcoholic beverages stores has been finalized, the daily reported. The whole system of distribution is expected to be similar to the national tobacco stores; thus all sales of alcoholic beverages would be centrally controlled. The daily added that, according to rumors, alcoholic beverages would only be sold in special, government licensed stores.

When tobacco was controlled this way, beginning last year, the number of legal outlets for tobacco was reduced from around 40,000 to around 7,000, according to the World Health Organization. There has been a subsequent rise in illegal cigarette sales reported.

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