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(2)I won’t raise the price of soju and beer for the time being.
(3)Input 20230301 AM 741 Article ID
(4)Reporter Kim Taeheon.
(5)1 family.
(6)We can’t guarantee how long we won’t raise prices as we avoid showers under government pressure.
(7)Liquor companies have declared a freeze on soju and beer prices one after another due to the government’s all-out pressure. Some point out that the price freeze may not last longer than this year, as it goes against the market economy.
(8)After the government declared a thorough investigation into restaurant prices, liquor companies said they would not raise the price of soju from the 27th. Hite Jinro was the first to say that it would not raise the price for the time being to ease the burden on consumers and self-employed people.
(9)As Hite Jinro announced the freeze of its products, rival soju makers such as Lotte Chilsung Beverage are not expected to raise their prices for the time being, and OB Beer officially announced that it will not raise their prices for the time being.
(10)However, it is predicted that the price freeze will not last longer than this year. The liquor industry said that if the government rejects the government’s demand for an open price cut, it will put all-out pressure on the Fair Trade Commission and the National Tax Service. At the same time, he explains that the clue for the time being contains implications.
(11)In particular, the price hike of soju and beer is due to the rise in liquor taxes, which are taxes on alcohol, and the price of empty bottles of soju, which is the main ingredient of soju, and it is difficult for the liquor industry to bear the minimum wage hike as well as the cost of electricity and gas.
(12)The liquor industry agrees that the government’s recent pressure began with the restaurant’s forecast of 6,000 won for soju. However, companies raise the price of soju and beer by about 100 won, but it is unfair to attribute the controversy caused by small business owners’ high sales margins only to corporate responsibility.
(13)An official from the liquor industry said, “When the government is putting pressure on us, can there be any company that can raise the price?” and added, “We decided not to raise the price for the time being with the intention of avoiding showers.” However, the official added, “This is only temporary and we don’t know how long the price can be maintained.”
(14)As a result, criticism is mounting that the government has only twisted the arms of Ammon companies without solving the root cause. Experts are also voicing criticism over the government’s pressure on the liquor industry.
(15)Kim Dae-jong, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said, “It is not desirable for the government to intervene in soju prices,” adding, “If the price is burdensome, it is the market economy that leads to natural adjustment due to falling consumption.”
(16)Lee Sang-ho, head of the economic research team at the Korea Economic Research Institute, also said, “If price control is widespread, hyperinflationary pressure can be created,” adding, “Artificial control is inefficient and not a part of controlling a specific product.”
(17)In fact, the factory price of soju has never risen since last year.
(18)It’s just a random posting by small business owners.
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