As mentioned, the government says this is for tax raising reasons and not down to their religious beliefs (which just happen to be anti-alcohol). Now there is a problem here too - nearly all studies show that increasing alcohol prices has a direct effect of reducing sales. In Turkey even, rakı consumption has reduced by approaching 50% (in real terms 34 million litres a year) since 1998 as prices have increased - 25 tax hikes in those 15 years.
That would suggest that if it's tax revenue you're after, increasing duty on alcohol might not the best way to do it. However, if you want to impose your anti-drinking beliefs on people, this is a brilliant way to achieve your aims.
