Not an April Fool’s Day Joke! Liquor to Cost More in State from April 1
Not an April Fool’s Day Joke! Liquor to Cost More in State from April 1-Stock Up Today
Mangaluru: Not at all good news for those who consume alcohol. And it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke either? Starting tomorrow, April 1, you will have to shell out more money if you plan to get drunk and make merry. Alcohol prices are likely to go up as the state government has increased the excise duty in the recent budget. So if you are planning to include liquor as part of your Easter lunch or Dinner menu, it’s advisable that you visit your nearest liquor store, and Stock up. As soon as the news spread, alcohol consumers have been thronging liquor stores, and the shops are seen making brisk business.
One liquor dealer in City speaking to Team Mangalorean said, ” If the prices of alcohol are increased, needless to say, many would opt to buy cheaper alcohol or even spurious drinks. Already the sale of alcohol in the state has come down for the bar and wine owners as MSIL shops are mushrooming. We have been forced to buy liquors by the state which expects huge revenue from this industry,”.
The Excise Revenue in the State has seen a tremendous rise from Rs 7.11 crores during the financial year 1967-68 to 18,050 crore during 2017-18 (till January). According to chief minister, the 18 per cent of Karnataka’s revenue is estimated to be generated by excise duties for the financial year 2018-19.Not a good news for all. The new rate is yet to be declared. As the tax for liquor was increased in the recently-presented state Budget, the new rates will be announced in a day or two, making liquor costlier.
However, numbers state that the sales have been good this year and the government has already recovered its target of Rs 17,600 crore. However, this year as the state is going for Assembly elections in May; the sales are expected to shoot up. Sources also say that some have already brought huge stocks of liquor ahead of the announcement of the code of conduct for Karnataka elections. The officials also said that increase in the price of liquor after the dates of the elections are announced is not a violation of the c
