Liquor to cost more in UP from April

Come April and tipplers in Uttar Pradesh need to shell out more money for having good times.

The government has announced its new excise policy effective for the next two years beginning April 2011 aimed at augmenting excise revenue by 20 per cent.

The increase in excise duty and licence fee would be applicable for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country liquor. Beer would also attract higher duty from 2012-13 financial year.

In the current financial year, the government has estimated excise revenues of Rs 6,770 crore. In the backdrop of the new policy, excise revenue will increase by Rs 1,354 crore and Rs 1,626 crore, respectively.

The new policy was cleared by the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mayawati here last evening.

According to the new policy, the minimum guaranteed quota (MCQ) for country made liquor (CML) has been increased by one per cent and six per cent for 2011-12 and 2012-13 to generate additional income of Rs 41 crore and Rs 250 crore, respectively.

The licence fee on CML has been increased from the existing Rs 130 per bulk litre to Rs 157 and Rs 159 per bulk litre in 2011-12 and 2012-13 to generate additional revenue of Rs 633 and Rs 50 crore, respectively.

For IMFL, licence fee has been raised by five per cent (minimum Rs 10 per/bulk litre) and 15 per cent (minimum Rs 30/bulk litre) for 2011-12 and 2012-13 to collect additional income of Rs 122 crore and Rs 328 crore, respectively.

The government has spared beer from any increase in the next financial year. However, the licence fee will be hiked by Rs 5 for lager beer and Rs 6 for strong beer in 2012-13 to give additional revenue of Rs 92 crore.

The policy, however, does not make changes in the special Meerut excise zone created by the last policy out of Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad and Bareilly divisions.