ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 22 (UPI) -- Consumers in Turkey pay twice what other European citizens pay for alcoholic beverages, government statistics said.
The state-run Turkish Statistical Institute said while food costs less in Turkey than in the rest of the European Union, alcohol costs consumers 205 percent more than the EU average.
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The Hurriyet Daily News said the hefty tabs are largely due to high taxes on alcohol.
The government has moved to ban the sale of alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., which has sparked a series of protests connected to the recent demonstrations in Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park.
