End of Prohibition, Salute!
Just few weeks prior to
celebrating the Myanmar New Year, On March 18, 2015, the Ministry of Commerce
issued Notification No. 18/2015 lifting the ban with respect to the importation
of foreign wines. The official reason is "the local market demand and significant
influx of foreigners owing to the improving situations of the country".
Actually, the welcomed move is aimed at raising tax revenue, reducing the black
market trade and giving more control over the distribution of foreign wines.
Under the new notification, importers must have
company registration, trading licences and an agreement with the company (e.g
wine castle/trader) from which they are importing wines before applying for
wine import licences and wine import registration card from the Ministry of
Commerce, General Administration Department. The procedure is relatively
straightforward.
Once the license and card
are granted, importers must comply with various conditions and standards, such as
ensuring that the imported wines carry a proper label proving taxes are paid,
that the ingredients are listed in English, that the wine is imported only by
air or sea, the labels showing the country of origin.
Hotels and duty-free
shops will continue to enjoy a loophole allowing them to import wine without a
wine import license or card. This has been kept going under recommendation from
the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.
The end or
prohibition, comes with a price… the Union Tax Law for the 2015-16 fiscal year
has imposed a commercial tax on wine of 50 % in addition to the customs tax of
30 %.
The Notification allowing
foreign wine to be legally imported and distributed in Myanmar by entities
other than hotel and duty free shops represent a great opportunity in one of
the fastest growing economy in South East Asia with a strong interest in wines,
producing award-winning wine, such as
"Red Mountain" (120,000 bottles per
year).
For more information
on wines importation and distribution in Myanmar, please contact our Wine Group
experts at winelexgroup@rouse.com
