Government defends new beer exercise rates; sliding scale has not been abolished

The government has dismissed claims by Acra Brewery Limited that amendments to Ghana’s beer excise duty sliding scale could unintentionally undermine local production, discourage future investment and put thousands of jobs across the beer value chain at risk.

ABL has said the proposed changes to the beer Local Raw Materials (LRM) sliding scale could have the opposite effect, particularly if implemented in 2026.

However, it mentioned that on the single question that prompted the review, namely whether the local raw material utilisation condition attached to the concession is actually being met, the publication is silent.