Council of States votes in favour of yield taxation and minimum pricing

In the spring session, the Council of States debated and approved the draft proposals for the Federal Act on the Taxation of Spirits and Ethanol (SETA) and the Federal Act on Trade in Alcoholic Beverages (ABA). The first chamber approved many of the Federal Council's suggestions. However, at the same time it also agreed to important amendments in the areas of taxation and the sale of alcohol.

On 23 March 2013, after more than four hours of heated debate, the Council of States approved the draft SETA by 23 votes to 8, with 6 abstentions, and the draft ABA by 33 votes with no votes against and 4 abstentions.

Calco

The Swiss Alcohol Board's "Calco" app enables you to determine the alcohol strength of spirits, as expressed in per cent by volume. You will also need an alcoholometer, which will provide you with the required input information. With "Alcohol calculator" you have two functions at your disposal: "Verification" and "Reduction" of spirits. With the "Verification" function you can calculate in per cent by volume just how much alcohol is contained in the spirit, at the reference temperature of 20°C. With the "Reduction" function you can calculate how much water you need to add to a spirit in order to obtain the desired consumption strength.

It's winter-time again, and the cold and snow are posing major challenges for the transport infrastructure. Bern-Belp airport relies on an innovative solution that is quick, inexpensive and 100% biodegradable for keeping its runway free of ice: high-proof alcohol (ethanol).