President Of Ecuador Cuts Beer Prices With Decree 420
President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa ordered the ICE tax on beer eliminated through the 2026 World Cup, and supermarkets in Ecuador began selling beer at lower prices on Saturday, June 13. At a Tía store in the north, the change was visible on six-packs from local and imported brands, with some prices dropping by about $1 to $1.50.
Decree 420, issued on Friday, June 12, cut the ICE rate on artisanal beer from $1.56 to $0 per liter of pure alcohol and on industrial beer from $13.62 to $0. The ad valorem rate for both artisanal and industrial beer also fell from 75% to 0%, covering national and imported products.
Tía prices changed on June 13
At Almacenes Tía in the north, a 330 ml Archer six-pack fell from $4.99 to $3.99. Archer is a local brand produced by Cervecería Nacional. The same store listed a 335 ml Pilsener six-pack at $4.50, after it had been selling for $5.20 in other supermarkets on Friday, June 12.
Cervecería Nacional announced new prices for its products on Friday night after the decree. Some supermarket workers said the tax elimination lowered prices by about $1 to $1.50 per six-pack depending on the brand, and the cuts landed alongside promotions that had already pushed some labels lower before Decree 420.
Promotions and tax cuts overlapped
The overlap mattered most for brands already on sale. A 355 ml Club Premiun six-pack fell from $9 to $5.99 under a promotion valid from June 12 to June 14, and a 355 ml Amstel six-pack fell from $8.40 to $5.99 under a promotion. Amstel is imported from the Netherlands.
Carlos Guale bought five Pilsener six-packs on Saturday morning at a Tía store in the north and said, “Esto es para mañana que juega Ecuador, ya hay que estar abastecido, porque puede que se acabe más tarde”.
Beer buyers face lower shelf prices
The practical change for shoppers was immediate: supermarkets had new shelf prices by June 13, and the tax cut applied to artisanal and industrial beer alike. For customers comparing brands, the largest visible shifts were in six-packs already moving through promotions, where the decree sharpened the drop rather than replacing it.
That leaves a clear shopping calculation for buyers in Ecuador. The lower tax now sits behind the price tags, while supermarkets continue to carry brands that were already discounted before the decree took effect.
