Liquor Prices in Chandigarh Soar by 15%; Still Lower Than in Punjab & Haryana

Booze lovers will have to shell out more money to buy their favourite brand of liquor. In the recently released excise policy, the UT Chandigarh administration has hiked the price of both countrymade and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) by up to 15%.

Highlights in the new excise policy released for 2018-19 on Tuesday:

  • Prices of both country-made and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) will rise by up to 15%.
  • The rates of beer and wine remain unchanged.
  • Despite the hike, the prices are still lesser than that in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana.
  • The new policy will come into force from April 1.
  • Under the new policy, the number of vends has gone up from 77 to 93.
  • In terms of ease of doing business, the security amount at the time of allotment has been relaxed from 40% to 25%. It will be mandatory for all retail licencees to issue an invoice on sale of liquor.
  • now departmental stores registered under the Goods and Service Tax Act, 2017, will be able to sell imported and Indian wine besides imported beer after obtaining a new license with a fee of Rs 2 lakh.
  • The policy states that it wants to promote low alcoholic content beverages.

 

Dept targets 25% higher revenue

In 2018-19, the UT excise and taxation department has set a target to earn Rs 450-crore revenue as compared to Rs 354 crore collected last year.

Brand Old Price New Price
Antiquity Blue Rs 700 Rs 800
McDowell’s Rs 300 Rs 345
Royal Stag Rs 350 Rs 400
Blenders Pride Rs 580 Rs 660

 

Chandigarh gulped 42,000 bottles daily last year

On an average, city residents guzzled down 42,000 bottles of liquor daily between the period of April 1, 2017 to March 20, 2018. This number is 50% more than as in previous year.

In all, 1.52 crore bottles were consumed, of which 1.31 crore were of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and the remaining 21 lakh were of country-made liquor.

 

Source: Hindustan Times

Image Credits: Google Images

Ratisha: A woman with varied interests, from geeky technology to serene poetry, but with a solitary passion to play with words. Ratisha is educated in sociology, psychology and human rights, that has sensitized her well to talk about all topics of human concern. She has been writing for many nationally and internationally acclaimed e-magazines and news portals including The Huffington Post, (United States) among others. When not writing, she is either found brushing strokes on a canvas or peering through her glasses into a novel.
Related Post