Japan Brewers Bet on Tax Cut to Revive Pandemic-Hit Sales

Japanese brewers suffering from the dropoff in bar and restaurant traffic are about to get some relief, thanks to long-awaited revisions to the liquor tax system that kicks in this week.

Until now, the island nation has had a complex taxation system for beer based on malt content instead of alcohol, where beer with more malt is taxed and priced higher. As of Thursday, the government is starting to bring taxes of different varieties of alcoholic products more in line with each other, which should make some beers more affordable for consumers.