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– Has it been suggested by 110-Øst that you can be useful to obtain / produce Antibac equipment? The crisis is coming and we really need more.
The Møre og Romsdal fire station wrote this to spirits producer Arcus in March, according to VG.
Fire Chief Geir Thorsen tells VG that he must ensure enough disinfectant at the emergency center where firefighters and police share the location, so that they can operate normally. When the pandemic hit hard in March, local suppliers told the fire marshal they had to wait for delays.
Thus, he contacted Arcus and agreed to buy 50 liters of hand alcohol for about 2,500 kronor.
In June, however, he was informed that the fire station must pay an additional fee of 27,400 crowns, VG reports.
The reason is that the liquor has an alcohol percentage of 70, which has resulted in a large additional bill for the alcohol tax from the Tax Administration. Despite the fact that alcohol should not be drinkable.
– This does not only apply to us, there are several who have now received a huge bill. I have been told that those who have complained have been rejected, Thorsen tells VG.
Arcus communications manager Per Bjørkum tells VG that they only wanted to help at the start of the pandemic and that they had the raw materials and expertise to contribute. The company usually produces aquavit, gin and vodka.
– We have requested an exemption for all the people to whom we deliver disinfectants and we are as disappointed as all our customers that a fee has to be paid for this, Bjørkum tells VG.
Section Chief Astrid M. Dugstad Tveter at the Tax Administration says they cannot comment on individual cases due to confidentiality, but still explains how the rules work in general. She says that the alcohol tax generally should not be paid for alcohol that cannot be drunk, for example, hand-held alcohol, but that there are strict conditions on how alcohol must become undrinkable. The manufacturer must send documentation to the Tax Administration that the rules have been complied with.
