Maharashtra: Govt Halves Excise Duty On Imported Liquor

The Maharashtra state government has cut down the excise duty on imported liquor from 300 per cent to 150 per cent in order to curb smuggling and bootlegging.

Hence, the cost of a 1 liter imported liquor bottle that costs somewhere between Rs 5800-Rs 14000 will drop down by 35-40 per cent.

Principal Secretary (Excise) Valsa Nair Singh told the Times of India (TOI), “The new notification will reduce MRP on imported whisky by around Rs 1,500-2,000. It will put liquor rates on a par with other states.”

The move is targeted to stop the illegal entry of such liquor into Maharashtra. The government intends to prevent the grey market by stopping the non-duty-paid liquor sales in the state.

“We hope to double revenue in this sector from Rs 100 crore to 250 crore in one year. Sales will go up from 1 lakh cases (bottles) annually to 2.5 lakh cases,” Singh further mentioned to TOI.

The reduction in excise duty will be applied to rum, brandy, whiskey, gin and vodka. One of the state officials quoted by the TOI has called upon the liquor companies to reduce the prices from Monday onwards.