Up to 500 liters of beer free
Lindner plans to reduce beer taxes for hobby brewers
April 8, 2024, 1:18 p.m
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In Germany, hobby brewers are currently allowed to produce up to 200 liters of beer tax-free. Finance Minister Lindner now wants to more than double the exemption limit for hop juice taxation. There is no need to fear a major tax loss.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner wants to provide tax relief for hobby brewers who produce beer for their own consumption. In the future, they will be allowed to brew 500 liters of beer a year tax-free, according to a draft of the annual tax law. According to the Beer Tax Ordinance, hobby brewers are currently only allowed to leave 200 liters untaxed. The law is still at the beginning of the political process and has not been passed by the cabinet or the Bundestag. The “Augsburger Allgemeine” first reported about it.
The amount of the beer tax depends on the original wort content in the beer. According to customs, there is usually a beer tax of eight to nine euros per 100 liters of Pils, Kölsch or Alt, while brewers pay between 12 and 13 euros for the same amount of strong beer.
In addition, the requirement to register private beer brewing with the main customs office, which previously required the expected annual production volume to be stated, will no longer apply. Instead, home brewers must submit a tax declaration using an official form if they produce more than five hectoliters per private household.
Major tax losses for the federal budget are not expected as a result of tax-free beer: According to a response from the federal government to a written question from the Union parliamentary group, the state collected around 7,000 euros in beer tax from private home and hobby brewers in the first half of 2022.