Liquor law brings heaps of cash in revenue for Delhi govt

By NewsGram Staff Writer

New Delhi: The new liquor policy and an aggressive sale of whiskey and beer, has taken the revenue of the Delhi government to soaring heights. The revenue rate grew at a pace faster than expected and excise collections for the current financial year reached Rs. 1.757 crore on Wednesday, an increase of Rs. 452 crore from last year.

Data shows that excise revenue from April 1 to September 9 was 34.67 per cent higher than last year which was Rs. 1,305 crore. The state is hoping to cross the Rs. 4,000 crore target it has set itself during the festive season starting from October end till New Year and Holi in March, 2016.

Beer sale shot up in the past one month due to relatively warm weather and less rain. Earlier, whiskey had been more in demand as the cooler weather had kept people off beer. But now, as the excise department has noted, both are climbing the consumption charts at a rapid pace and generating more revenue.

Experts monitoring duty collections and market trends believe that increase in revenue in the lean season is owed to multiple factors.

First, the new excise policy focuses on a more efficient collection system. Earlier, excise was collected at the real stage which left loopholes, creating chances for evasion of duty on the way from the distillery to wholesale and retail markets. But now, according to the new policy, duty has to be paid when the import permit is taken by a wholesaler to bring stock from a distillery to Delhi.

Second, the new policy redefines the norms for allowing the operators to function in Delhi, those selling low-end brands have been reduced. The consequences are more people shifting to non-economy high-end liquor and others have shifted to affordable country liquor. As a result, the sale of non-economy liquor brands which sold nine lakh cases (with 12 bottles in each on an average) more than last year during the same period.

Also, stringent regulations and stepped up law and order measures, have deterred smuggling and tax evasions.