Alcohol Gets Cheaper In Maharashtra As State Cuts Excise Duty On Imported Scotch By 50%

The Maharashtra government has slashed excise duty on imported scotch whiskey by 50 per cent to bring its price on par with that in other states, a senior official said here on Friday.

Excise duty brought down from 300%

The excise duty on imported scotch whiskey has been brought down from 300 per cent to 150 per cent of the manufacturing cost," the official told PTI.

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The notification in this regard was issued on Thursday, she said. The Maharashtra government earns revenue of about Rs 100 crore from the sale of imported scotch annually.

The revenue is expected to increase to Rs 250 crore as the sale is expected to go up from one lakh bottles to 2.5 lakh bottles, the official said. The reduction in duty would also curb smuggling of scotch from other states and sale of spurious liquor, she added.

Delhi's new liquor policy

Meanwhile, in Delhi, after remaining closed for a month and a half, all private liquor shops reopened on Wednesday. As per the new liquor policy, unlike old shops where customers had to stand out on roads and liquor was sold to them through a small window, the new shops will be walk-in.

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With private shops reopening, the government has now completely exited the liquor sale business. While the total number of liquor vends ¨C 849 ¨C will remain the same as earlier, the shops have been redistributed to have an equal distribution across the city to discourage bootlegging.

The city has been divided into 32 zones comprising 280 wards. Each ward will have around 3 liquor vends.

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Alcohol banned in states

Additionally, alcohol sale and consumption is totally banned in Mizoram, Gujarat, Bihar, Nagaland, Lakshadweep. It is also banned partially in some districts of Manipur.

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