5 ms·
What's interesting about this?
by fouc 6y ago
What's interesting about this?
- axlee 6y agoDo you know a lot of places with monthly alcohol purchase quotas?
- jhugo 6y agoWell, there are not that many tax-free places. If they didn't have quotas, there would no doubt be thriving businesses buying alcohol in Svalbard and selling it in the rest of Norway.
- progre 6y agoTransport costs might put a damper on that. Also, it sounds like it would also be subjected to import restrictions, even if it's the same country.
- jhugo 6y agoSmuggling is a thing, though. And transport costs tend to reduce as volume increases, and alcohol is a popular product...
- progre 6y agoWell, if we are talking illegal activities, Norway shares a long, marginally patrolled border with Sweden where alcohol is significantly cheaper. So if you are into smuggeling, I would try that first, before trying to arrange something up in the arctic sea.
- willowfine 6y agoPre-covid, this was a thriving and mostly legal industry. There are quotas on how much may be imported for personal consumption. Meanwhile, the Swedes go to Denmark for cheap alcohol, the Danes go to Germany, the Germans to Poland and the Poles to Ukraine. Thus Ukraine is the fixed point of the alcohol-flow function. This theorem was proven when I was a PhD student in a research group which contained a Norwegian, a Swede, a German, a Pole and a Ukrainian - we extrapolated the Danish connection point.
- vincnetas 6y agoQatar has "alcohol license" for residents. Not sure about that but what i heard your employer has to say how much you get to drink. https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/qatar/lifestyle/food-drink/liquor-licence https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/qatar/lifestyle/food-drink/... EDIT: yes article mentions this The letter must be addressed to the Qatar Distribution Company, be stamped and signed by an authorised person within the company, and include the following information: The applicant's position within their company The applicant's basic salary. The word 'basic' must be used. To get a permit a minimum salary is needed (4,000 riyals or 1,100 US dollars) Whether the applicant receives an accommodation entitlement or has free accommodation Whether the applicant is married When applying for a permit an individual must fill in an application form, pay a returnable deposit and state their religion
- shrikant 6y agoI remember something like this in Oman as well, back when I lived there in the late 80s/early 90s. Looking at the situation now though, it looks like it might be a very tiny bit more liberal, in that you still need a "personal consumption licence", but the quota appears to have been done away with.
- murrayhenson 6y agoMaybe that the quotas are very low, or that there are quotas at all. Mainland Norway definitely doesn't have quotas like this; rather alcohol is simply made to be quite expensive. When I read this my first thought was something like, "I bet that those who don't drink are making a bit of profit on the side by selling their allowances." However, I'm guessing that for Svalbard's dedicated drinkers ...they're finding a way around the import restrictions. It would be interesting to hear how folks deal with the restrictions by someone that lives on Svalbard or has spent significant time there.
- jhugo 6y ago> Mainland Norway definitely doesn't have quotas like this; rather alcohol is simply made to be quite expensive. If you don't mind the higher price I'm sure you can still import it as long as you pay the duty. (The linked page merely says that you cannot import tax-free.) So ultimately it's the same situation as in (the rest of) Norway, but with some small allowance of cheaper tax-free alcohol. If they didn't have the quotas, people would arbitrage it.
- alistairSH 6y agoMaybe that the quotas are very low 24 bottles of liquor, 6 bottles of fortified wines, nearly 300 cans of beer, and unlimited wine annually is low? I'd hate to be the liver of anybody drinking that much.
- aequitas 6y agoI find the law that requires you to carry a firearm more interesting: https://www.sysselmannen.no/en/weapon/ https://www.sysselmannen.no/en/weapon/ Being a remote town in the far north with unusual day/nighy cycles does require some strange laws to keep everyone safe and sane I guess. Also, Tom has been there ofc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFJ-ze2-SqU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFJ-ze2-SqU
- k__ 6y agoGives me a bit of a Skyrim vibe, haha.
- paranoidrobot 6y ago> I find the law that requires you to carry a firearm more interesting That's not quite what it says. Firearms are only a recommendation. > Due to the polar bear threat in Svalbard, anyone travelling outside the settlements must be equipped with appropriate means of frightening and chasing off polar bears. > The Governor of Svalbard also recommends having firearms with you.
- bovermyer 6y agoThere are levels of risk I am not prepared to accept. I'll carry an assault shotgun, an assault rifle, and a dedicated ammunition-hauling dog with me if I go outside a town in Svalbard.
- throwawayfire 6y agoMaybe that there is a customs border internal to Norway?
- jonsen 6y agoWikipedia on Svalbard: “While part of the Kingdom of Norway since 1925, Svalbard is not part of geographical Norway; administratively, the archipelago is not part of any Norwegian county, but forms an unincorporated area administered by a governor appointed by the Norwegian government, and a special jurisdiction subject to the Svalbard Treaty that is outside of the Schengen Area, the Nordic Passport Union and the European Economic Area.”
- bbojan 6y agoDo you know of any other place that has quotas on alcohol consumption?