Delhi govt recommends 'comparable taxes' for small beer manufactures


PTI | New Delhi | Updated: 11-05-2022 22:44 IST | Created: 11-05-2022 22:36 IST
Delhi govt recommends 'comparable taxes' for small beer manufactures
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A gift for beer lovers may be in the offing as a ministers’ group in the government is batting for easing of beer retail by microbreweries in the city. A group of ministers (GoM) has recommended promotion of soft liquor including beers manufactured by the microbreweries by making taxes comparable to what they are in cities like Chandigarh. The changes, if they come to be, will be made in the Delhi government's excise policy for 2022-23, scheduled to be implemented from next month, officials said on Wednesday.

The government is likely to soon notify the policy for 2022-23 that will be an updated version of new Excise policy implemented by the government on November 17 last year.

The government has extended the implementation of Excise policy 2021 till May 31, 2022.

The GoM has recommended that the beer manufactured by the microbreweries in small quantities should be promoted.

The rate of Excise duty for beer manufactured by microbreweries may be fixed at Rs 30 per bulk litre of the installed capacity -- comparable to Chandigarh -- the group recommended in the meeting held last month. ''This will help the microbreweries to tide over the lean season issue. It will also help in promoting microbreweries the product of which is soft liquor,'' said an official document quoting the GoM meeting.

It also recommended fixing the license fee at Rs 2.5 lakh for installed capacity of 500 litre per day, and retaining the Rs 5 lakh license fee for up to 1,000 litre.

The MRP of beer produced by the microbrewery may be decided by the Excise Commissioner which should be same for take away and retail sale through L-1 distributor, it said.

Promotion of wine as soft liquor was another move discussed in the meeting. The GoM said that the L-18 license (serving of Indian and Foreign beer and wine in independent restaurants) may be reinstated specifically for beer and wine with a license fee equal to 50 per cent of L-17 license category.

Under the Excise Policy, 2021, licenses for retail liquor sale were allotted to highest bidders for 850 vends divided into 32 zones in the city.

Considering that the zonal retail licenses allotted as per Excise policy 2021 were operational for a span of mere six months, the GoM also advocated for its renewal.

The retail liquor vends started operation from November 17, 2021. However, the business was affected due to the third wave of COVID in January.

It was felt that the retail licensees should be given a reasonable time to stabilise sales and cover their investments.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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