Following the intervention of MR group leader Benoît Piedboeuf, the government is correcting a tax inconsistency that penalised plant-based drinks produced in Belgium. The excise exemption is now extended to all plant-based drinks without added sugars.
Competition between plant-based drinks will now be fair: the Minister of Finance is extending the excise exemption to all plant-based drinks without added sugars, putting an end to an inequality that disadvantaged our local producers. This correction responds to the interpellation already tabled last year by federal MR MP and group leader, Benoît Piedboeuf.
Until now, only drinks based on soya and rice, two raw materials mostly imported into Belgium, benefited from an exemption. « In short, what was exempt was precisely what Belgium did not produce. Meanwhile, drinks from our own sectors, such as oats, quinoa, legumes or nuts, remained taxed », recalls Benoît Piedboeuf. « This tax inconsistency placed our producers at a clear disadvantage compared to imported alternatives. »
The new law corrects this anomaly by extending the exemption to all plant-based drinks concerned, provided they contain no added sugars.
« I welcome the minister's decision: it restores healthy and fair competition », says the MP. « It is a common-sense measure that finally supports our plant-based sectors, stimulates local innovation and offers consumers more consistency in their search for healthy food. Modern taxation must encourage our production, not penalise it. »
The vote held in committee will be confirmed in the Chamber's plenary session before the end of the year.