‘The excise label equipment has finally been delivered, yet the computers and printers still have to be programmed by Atlas, a specialist company. The work is now in progress,’ Director of Tagilvodka JSC distribution subsidiary Evgeniy Kulaev said to UrBC representative.

According to Mr Kulaev, the plant has also been idle due to the lack of the papers needed to get the excise labels. ‘The new labels do exist, but we haven’t been given them yet, and acquiring all the documents is time-consuming. Besides, the companies now have to pay 10% off each excise duty in advance. The duty excised on a 0.5-liter bottle of alcohol, for instance, comes to 33 RUR, so 3.3 RUR have to be paid before the company actually makes any profit.’

Mr Kulaev also said that the winery has been incurring losses caused by the 1.5-month standstill. Despite the downtime, people are getting paid, and so are the electricity and other bills.

‘The total amount of expenses occasioned by the introduction of the new labels will come to about 700,000 RUR. It will have to be made up somehow, perhaps, at the expense of the consumer. The prices are going to be market-regulated, so if the federal producers are to raise them, we’ll have to follow suit,’ Mr Kulaev noted. He also said the company was not going to go back to work until the 13th or 14th of February.