EXCISE DUTIES TO REMAIN IN THE EU

The EU's Court of Justice ruled Thursday, November 23 that consumers must pay excise duties when they order alcohol or cigarettes from other EU countries.The court said "only products acquired and transported personally by private individuals are exempt from excise duty in the member state of importation." The ruling is a setback for Internet companies and other cross-border importers, which had hoped to start selling lower-priced alcohol and cigarettes across the European Union.Alcohol is taxed at very different rates across