Page 6 - Liquor

Foreign liquor, beer prices set to rise in Uttar Pradesh from April 1

The prices of foreign liquor and beer in Uttar Pradesh will increase by 10 per cent with the implementation of the new excise policy from April 1, an official statement said on Sunday. The new excise policy 2023-24 was cleared by Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Saturday. According to the statement, an increment of 10 per cent has been made on licence fees of foreign liquor, beer, cannabis retail shops and model shops. The government has also increased the fee for running the canteen facility at model shops to Rs 3 lakh from the present Rs 2 lakh in the new excise policy. With the new policy, the government has also increased the licence fee and security for bonded warehouse licenses (BWFL-2A, 2B, 2C) of foreign liquor, beer and wine. The registration and renewal fees of the master warehouse have been increased too. "The increase in licence fee and that of running canteen facility along with warehouse licences will eventually lead to rise in liquor prices," said Devesh Jaiswal of the UP .

Dubai ends 30% tax on alcohol sales, fee for liquor licenses in sheikhdom

Dubai ended its 30 per cent tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom on Sunday and made its required liquor licenses free to obtain, ending a long-standing source of revenue for its ruling family to apparently further boost its tourism to the emirate. The sudden New Year's Day announcement, made by Dubai's two state-linked alcohol retailers, came apparently from a government decree from its ruling Al Maktoum family. However, government officials did not immediately acknowledge the decision and did not respond to questions from The Associated Press. But it follows years of loosening regulations over liquor in the sheikhdom, which now sells alcohol during daylight hours in Ramadan and began providing home delivery during the lockdowns at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Alcohol sales have long served as a major barometer of the economy of Dubai, a top travel destination in the UAE, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates. During the recent World Cup in nearby Qatar, Dubai's many bar

Illegal liquor: Consumption may be up, but deaths show the opposite trend

India has a higher per capita consumption of illegal liquor than most countries in the neighbourhood

Taxes account for 67-80% of liquor prices; threatens sector's future: ISWAI

High rates of taxation are crippling the alcoholic beverages (alcobev) sector and threatening the future of the liquor industry in the country, the International Spirits & Wines Association of India (ISWAI) said. ISWAI, the apex body of the premium alcobev industry in the country, said that taxes account for 67 to 80 per cent of the product prices, leaving little for the trade to sustain and manage operations. The Indian alcobev industry is in deep crisis due to inflation on one hand and high taxation rates. In this context, it is needed to decrease taxes and raise product prices for the sector to sustain," ISWAI CEO Nita Kapoor said. Unlike other industries, the liquor industry does not have the freedom to price the products, Kapoor said. "The liquor trade contributes 25 per cent to 40 per cent of the state governments' revenues. Despite this, the government chose to tax it at high rates. The rates should be rationalised," Kapoor said. According to ISWAI, the Indian alcobev ...

Fumes of failure

Prohibition is damaging Bihar in multiple ways

Drugs, illicit liquor spreading roots across national capital: Survey

Easily available at various hotspots, which include JJ clusters and parks, at prices ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000, anyone can get ganja in the quantities that they require

Toll in Chhapra hooch tragedy soars to 39, minister vows strict action

Bihar minister Sunil Kumar "vowed' that govt would take "strict action" against culprits responsible for deaths

5 dead after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar's Chhapra, say police

At least three people in Chhapra area of Bihar's Saran district have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor amid reports that the toll is expected to climb, said police on Wednesday.Though the police in Ishauvpur have not confirmed the cause of "suspicious" deaths yet, they apprehended that the toll may rise which various sources put at five, six and 10."Three died, bodies sent for postmortem, these look like suspicious deaths. I have also received information that some more are receiving treatment at different places," SP S Kumar said.Madhepur DSP reached the spot and started the investigation. The police are searching for more sick people who might be in hiding to avoid interrogation as the sale and consumption of alcohol is completely banned in Bihar since April 2016.Among the deceased are Amit Ranjan, who died during treatment at Chhapra Sadar Hospital. The district police force have reached the hospital and taken Ranjan's body into custody. The police said that the cause .

Gujarat Assembly polls: FIR against BJP candidate for 'liquor' remark

In an embarrassment for BJP in Gujarat ahead of the Assembly elections, a candidate allegedly said liquor can be sold openly, leading to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against him for indulging in "corrupt practices". Gujarat has a sumptuary law in force that proscribes the manufacture, storage, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The FIR was lodged against Latubhai Parghi, the BJP's nominee from the Danta seat in Banaskantha district, by a poll official after a video of a public meeting addressed by him on November 26 went viral, police said on Wednesday. Parghi purportedly told a group of women they will be allowed to sell liquor openly in a basket and need not hide it. "Liquor will be made available without the need for secrecy," he said, as per the FIR. The complaint was lodged against Parghi by Returning Officer Harshaben Raval at Danta police station on Tuesday. The complainant provided the police with the CD containing the video of the speech m

Delhi liquor scam: Manish Sisodia not named in chargesheet by CBI

Sisodia also demanded action against the Chief Secretary and the resignation of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena

Liquor bottles worth over Rs 100 cr sold in Delhi on weekend before Diwali

More than 48 lakh bottles of liquor worth over Rs 100 crore were sold in Delhi on the weekend preceding Diwali, officials said on Sunday. People celebrated Diwali with pomp on Monday after two years of muted festivities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Diwali, October 24 (Monday), was a dry day in the national capital. "That led to a rush on the weekend from Friday to Sunday with heavy liquor sales across the city," said a senior excise department officer. "More than 48 lakh bottles were sold on Friday-Sunday, worth over Rs 100 crore, ahead of Diwali on October 24," he said. The average daily sale of liquor in Delhi is around 12.50 lakh bottles, the officer said. Giving details, officials said 13.56 lakh bottles worth over Rs 30 lakh were sold on Friday and 15.09 lakh bottles worth nearly Rs 32 lakh on Saturday. On Diwali eve on October 23, a record sale of more than 19.42 lakh bottles worth over Rs 42 lakh was recorded, they said. The excise business in Delhi has been hit hard wi

Liquor rates to rise as govt hikes excise duty by 15% in Arunachal Pradesh

Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) in Arunachal Pradesh is set to become costlier, as the state cabinet has decided to increase the existing rates of excise duty by 15 per cent on all types of hard liquor (IMFL and bottled in original products) to be paid before the import or removal from the manufacturer. The rates of excise duty in respect of military or paramilitary units shall be 50 per cent of the rates of excise duty fixed to be paid before the import or removal from the manufacturer, the cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu decided on Wednesday, a communique from the CMO said. Among a slew of decisions, the cabinet also reviewed the ongoing exercise of resolving the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary and decided to amicably resolve the matter at the earliest. The cabinet approved the proposal of taking over of the DBT-APSCS&T Centre of Excellence for Bioresources and Sustainable Development (DBT-APSCS&T Centre of Excellence for BRSD) established under the aegis of .

Delhi liquor policy: ED conducts fresh raids at 40 locations across India

The ED on Friday launched fresh raids at about 40 locations across the country, including at the Delhi residence of a YSRCP MP, as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy, official sources said. The searches are being conducted at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi-NCR, they said. The premises linked to YSRCP Lok Sabha MP from Ongole M Sreenivasulu Reddy in Delhi are also being searched, they said. Reddy has links with liquor distributorship business. He could not be contacted by PTI despite repeated attempts. The action started early morning with agency teams being escorted by police and paramilitary personnel at the locations being searched by them. This is the second round of raids by the federal agency in this case after it first conducted searches on September 6 at about

Delhi govt offers power subsidy opt-out amid dwindling liquor revenue

AAP says enough money to pay subsidy, only giving an option to those who don't want it and the move would expose "double talk" of BJP

Kerala likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam: BevCo

According to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo), the first few days of this Onam season have set the tone for record sales

What changes can consumers expect in Delhi after change in liquor policy?

From September 1, private liquor vendors in New Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) will shut down their stores and state government will regain control

300 liquor stores, 4 microbreweries: Host of changes for tipplers in Delhi

Delhi is set to return to the old liquor excise policy regime, which includes opening 300 new liquor shops, and four microbreweries in the city

Why states are unwilling to take lessons from Delhi liquor excise saga

The controversy in Delhi reflects the enduring importance of this revenue source for state exchequers

BJP MLAs hold mock Assembly session, slam AAP govt over liquor "scam"

A day after being marshalled out from the special session of the Delhi Assembly, BJP MLAs held a mock house sitting on Sunday and slammed the AAP government over the alleged liquor "scam". The mock assembly session was held at the Ambedkar International Centre during which BJP members wore masks to impersonate Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia and other ruling party MLAs. The eight BJP MLAs were marshalled out for the entire day over alleged video recording of the special session on Friday. During the moak session, the MLAs took turn to ask questions and slam the Kejriwal government over the alleged liquor "scam", which they could not do in the House on Friday. They asked why Kejriwal government withdrew it's excise policy after a CBI probe was recommended by the LG V K Saxena. "The Kejriwal government did not open a single school or hospital in entire East Delhi but dotted it with liquor stores everywhere," charged Rohtas Nagar MLA Jitendra ...

Education in AAP govt's words, liquor in work: BJP's Anurag Thakur

Education may feature prominently in the words of the Aam Aadmi Party but it is "liquor" which drives their work, Union minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday as the BJP kept its attack on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia over the alleged excise scam. He said the AAP government in Delhi did not make "pathshala" (schools) but opened many "madhushala" (liquor vends) and questioned the "silence" of Kejriwal and Sisodia to the queries raised by him over the "scam", now being probed by the CBI. "The liquor scam has unmasked the AAP and showed how it is neck-deep in corruption. Why are its leaders not answering the questions raised by us over its excise policy," Thakur said. The AAP government should answer as to why Rs 144 crore was returned to liquor dealers besides Rs 30 crore earnest money, he asked. "If the excise policy was correct, then why was it withdrawn? The truth is serious corruption has occurred. Their health minister is in jail on corruptio