Bolivia's Beer Tax Aims To Encourage Milk Drinking

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Bolivia's government has a message for beer drinkers: Get milk.

The South American country's productive development minister complains that beer consumption is rising 10 percent a year while milk consumption is stable. And Teresa Morales says "Bolivians consume more beer than milk." Officials say Bolivians drink 30 liters of milk a year and 35 liters of beer.

Morales is backing a bill that imposes a small tax on beer to finance promotion of milk's benefits. other alcoholic beverages also will carry the new tax. The measure received final approval from Bolivia's congress on Friday.

Morales says the milk industry is running at just 60 percent of capacity.

Comments

[GOP Incorporated]

11:38 AM on 09/26/2011

Morales once said that the hormones found in American chicken make people g@y.

He is not the brightest bulb in the pack.

[VanHalenFan]

08:53 PM on 09/24/2011

BEER...............................mmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

[Annette Hammond]

08:51 PM on 09/24/2011

I have'nt seen someone quit smoking cigs because the tax keeps going up.Cigarettes are one of the worse drugs out there.

[Annette Hammond]

08:49 PM on 09/24/2011

Hey,if i'm gonna drink beer--I'm gonna drink beer

[WHOGIVESADAMN pluh]

05:52 PM on 09/24/2011

Beer > Milk.

Then again, I'm lactose intolerant, and soy milk is horrid...

[RK Johnston]

05:21 PM on 09/24/2011

To each their own.

When our government either cuts back or ends Federal subsidies on cow's milk, and stops flogging the consumption of it as if it were some "miracle elixir"?
Then we, as a society, will have made nutritional headway.

Truth be told, only bovine calves have the real need to consume cow's milk.
We humans can get the same bennies from different sources--including sunlight.
But, like I said, to each their own.

--RKJ

[Carbon Forteetoo]

04:01 PM on 09/24/2011

Milk hurts my stomach. But beer makes me awesome! Doesn't it?

[Ghostberry]

02:29 PM on 09/24/2011

So water is out?

[bonelessfluff]

12:23 PM on 09/24/2011

They should encourage them to huff paint so they'll do less coke.

[Mangus]

10:34 AM on 09/24/2011

Milk is disgusting, no either animal drinks the milk of a different species. On the other hand, beer rocks and should be consumed daily.

[TomP100]

11:03 AM on 09/24/2011

"..no either animal drinks the milk of a different species."
---------------

Ridiculous. Poor some cow's milk into a dish and place it in front of a cat and observe the result.

[wbthacker]

12:15 AM on 09/25/2011

Yep. And in contrast, no animal makes beer. :-)

[deepintheheartoftejas]

01:45 AM on 09/25/2011

Unfortunately, it often results in cat puke in another part of the house.

[Gottlieb]

01:18 AM on 09/24/2011

From what I have read on the subject, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream are the products which should be promoted in Bolivia not milk.

http://www.wfp.org/stories/poor-families-dairy-products-feed-school-children-bolivia

http://www.new-ag.info/en/focus/focusItem.php?a=159

[Gottlieb]

01:12 AM on 09/24/2011

Sounds like more government support for the Bolivian milk industry which still hasn't improved the nutritional quality of its milk. http://countrystudies.us/bolivia/57.htm

[Freedom Rush]

09:02 PM on 09/23/2011

http://sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/cows-milk-is-for-baby-cows-alternatives-to-milk/

[FreedomMan]

08:05 PM on 09/23/2011

With all that milk maybe they need to do the cheese-thingy down there like they do in France with their 1,159 different kinds of cheeses.

[Gottlieb]

01:14 AM on 09/24/2011

International organizations are doing what you suggest promoting cheese production in Bolivia.
http://www.new-ag.info/en/focus/focusItem.php?a=159

[gemini68]

04:35 PM on 09/23/2011

Ugh- milk is disgusting. If they are worried about people's calcium intake they would be better off promoting green leafy vegetables which have twice the calcium of milk and no sugar or fat - like milk does. Or even soy- which also has twice the calcium. And tons of protein. Milk is gross.

[TomP100]

11:08 AM on 09/24/2011

Soy is vile. It contains huge amounts of phytoestrogens and the majority of it is GMO.

[finallylegal]

02:00 PM on 09/24/2011

and i hate how all these vegies say,"oh,it tastes just like milk, it's good." IT'S CRAP!

[gemini68]

07:53 PM on 09/24/2011

I don't personally eat a lot of Soy because of the high level of phytoestrogens- but its is a far healthier choice for most than milk. Milk which can contain hundreds of antibiotics, synthetic hormone- and in some case PUS.