Chandigarh, March 6: Liquor in Haryana is all set to become costlier from April 1 as the state cabinet on Tuesday approved an increase in the excise duty on the sale of alcohol in the state. Reports inform that the excise duty on the sale has gone up for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), country liquor and beer as per the 2019-20 Excise Policy that was unveiled on Tuesday. However, officials informed that despite the hike, liquor would still be cheaper in Haryana as compared to neighbouring states including Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Illicit Liquor Consumption Kills 32 in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee, 31 Liquor Traders Arrested.

The excise policy for 2019-20 was approved by the Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday. The policy projected an all-time high excise revenue of Rs 7,500 crore, up from Rs 6,300 crore in the current year. After the hike, an increase of 10-15 per cent in prices of country liquor and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) is expected. Liquor Home Delivery: Maharashtra Government Takes U-Turn.

In his budget address in the assembly, State Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu had pegged Rs 7,000 crore tax earnings from liquor sale in the state. However, reports inform that the 2019-20 excise policy approved by the cabinet aims to mop up an additional Rs 500 crore from liquor sale, thus setting a higher revenue target of Rs 7,500 crore.

The Minister was quoted in a report by Hindustan Times saying that the cabinet has tweaked the duty structure, including the excise duty, for achieving a higher revenue target. The report informs that the details of the increased excise duty were not made public on Tuesday.

Abhimanyu added saying that the excise duty on rum sold through the canteen stores department (CSD) for the defence personnel has been reduced to Rs 66 per proof litre from the exisiting Rs 127 per proof litre. He added saying that the dip in price will mean an annual revenue loss of about Rs 20 crore to the state.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 06, 2019 02:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).