Choudhry flays Haryana excise policy

Describing it as "short-sighted, contradictory and against the accepted policy" of promoting beverages with low alcoholic content, Haryana Congress today flayed BJP-led state government's new excise scheme on liquor.
Congress Legislature Party leader in the state Kiran Choudhry said while the price of beer with 5.5 per cent liquor content had been increased from Rs 50 per bottle of 650 ml to Rs 55, the price of beer with more than 5.5 per cent liquor content had been reduced from Rs 70 to Rs 65.
"This is against the accepted policy of promoting beverages with low alcoholic content," she said in a statement.

"With this, excise duty has been increased from 5-20 per cent which will help distilleries. It is done to favour the distilleries," she alleged.
The former excise and taxation minister also charged that the percentage of fixed quota of country liquor has been enhanced from 25 to 40 per cent due to which end users will not get good quality liquor in their particular area and it will serve the vested interest of distillers only.
"The new policy will not serve the purpose of open and good quality liquor distillers when they know that it is mandatory for vendors to lift the fixed quantity of liquor without considering the quality.

"It will only make the situation worse and is not in the interest of end users," she said.

In addition to the permit fee, an assessment fee has also been levied from this year which is Rs 600 per proof litre (PL) on whisky, scotch, rum, vodka and brandy, on wine it is Rs 500 per proof litre and on beer its Rs 400 per proof litre, which will put extra burden on the consumers only, she said.
With bar license fee being almost doubled, drinking at bars will cost more and people will stop coming to the bars and prefer to drink out in the open which will create social nuisance, she added.

It will also divert sales and revenue to Delhi in the NCR belt and to Chandigarh from Panchkula as people will prefer to visit bars there than in Haryana, the Congress leader said in her statement.
Besides, the fee hike will ease small players out of business, it added.