Bad news for Bacchus lovers as booze to get dearer in state
CHANDIGARH: Liquor prices are all set to rise in Haryana from April 1 as the state government on Monday announced a 57% increase in the excise duty on country liquor.
The hike in the price of Indianmade Foreign Liquor (IMFL), however, will be in the range of 5% to 11% as per the ex-distillery price of the liquor brand.
Unveiling the liquor policy for the 2018-19 fiscal, additional chief secretary (ACS), excise and taxation, Sanjeev Kaushal, said the excise duty on country liquor has been increased from ₹28 to ₹44 per proof litre. For IMFL, the levy has been increased from ₹44-200 per proof litre to ₹49-210 per proof litre.
Since the new liquor policy entails an increase in the basic quota of the country liquor — from 950 lakh proof litres to 1,000 lakh proof litres — and from 550 lakh proof litres to 600 lakh proof litres for the IMFL, the state government has set its eyes on registering a higher growth in terms of revenue generated from the liquor consumption. The reduction in the export duty on country liquor from ₹1.50 to 50 paisa per proof litre is also aimed at encouraging inter-state sales. The excise revenue which was 11.71% in 2016-17 has increased to 13% in 2017-18.
BEER TO BECOME COSTLY TOO
Beer will also become costlier as the excise duty on bottled mild beer has been increased from ₹31 per bulk litre to ₹34. For bottled strong beer (having alcohol content of over 5.5%), the excise duty has been increased from ₹36 per bulk litre to ₹40.
The canned beer (mild and strong varieties), too, will become costlier with the excise duty being hiked to ₹45 from the existing ₹41 per bulk litre for mild beer and ₹50 from the existing ₹46 per bulk litre for the stronger variety.
“However, we have not increased the minimum retail price (MRP) for the bottled and canned beer. The MRP for the beer stays at ₹65 (mild) and ₹75 (strong) for a 650ml bottle. For a 500ml canned beer, the MRP will stay at ₹75 (mild) and ₹85 (strong). Since there is intense competition in the beer market, we expect the breweries to considerably absorb the impact of excise-duty hike,” Kaushal said.
However, there will be no increase in the annual fee of bar licences granted to restaurants and hotels having three-star ratings and above.
JAPANESE EATERIES IN MANESAR CAN APPLY FOR PUB LICENCE
In a first, pub licences have been allowed in the Industrial Model
Township (IMT), Manesar, on the request of a Japanese firm. “Traditional Japanese cuisine restaurants in IMT Manesar can now apply for a pub licence,” the excise officials said. The provisions regarding grant of bar licences to golf clubs have also been relaxed to allow them to operate anywhere in the state.
The ACS said that no vend will be opened in 198 villages of the state. “Around 500 resolutions were received from the gram panchayats in 2017-18, of which 198 were found to be genuine. On the basis of these, it was decided not to open liquor vends in these villages,’’ Kaushal said.