Liquor rates on par with Mohali, Panchkula, Chandigarh’s revenue target still not met

Against the target of ₹887 crore for 2022-23, the Chandigarh excise and taxation department collected a total revenue of ₹787 crore till January 31, translating into 88%

With less than a month left before the end of the financial year, the UT administration has not been able to achieve its liquor revenue target despite the decision to bring liquor rates on par with Mohali and Panchkula.

In the 2023-24 Excise Policy, which will come into force from April 1, the Chandigarh excise department has not increased the rates of liquor, but has hiked the minimal retail sale price of all beer brands by ₹10. (HT Photo)

Against the target of ₹887 crore for 2022-23, the UT excise and taxation department collected a total revenue of ₹787 crore till January 31, translating into 88%.

In comparison, in the previous 2021-22 financial year, UT had achieved 89% target by collecting ₹724 crore against annual target of ₹806 crore.

A senior official of the UT administration said though liquor rates were brought on par with neighbouring cities in 2022-2023, smuggling of liquor to Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat from Chandigarh had always remained an issue due to lower cost of liquor in Chandigarh, causing a dent in local revenue collection. “But we are hopeful that there will be an increase in the revenue until March 31,” he said.

In the 2023-24 Excise Policy, which will come into force from April 1, the UT excise department has not increased the rates of liquor, but has hiked the minimal retail sale price (MSP) of all beer brands by ₹10. Also, liquor vends will be allowed to remain open till 12 am, instead of the earlier deadline of 11 pm, which is expected to help the department rake in more revenue. The new deadline will be on part with liquor vends in Mohali and Panchkula.

A senior official of the excise and taxation department said, “To rein in smuggling, we are planning to introduce bar code and batch numbers on liquor bottles and cartons. The bar code will provide all information regarding the manufacturer, date and other content. After the request for proposal (RFP), around 10 companies have applied to implement the system. We will be finalising the company soon.”

Notably, since January, Chandigarh Police have caught three trucks that were smuggling nearly 1,200 liquor boxes of various whiskey brands to be Bihar, Gujarat and Haryana.

Bidding for liquor vends starts today

The excise and taxation department will start the e-tendering process for allotment of the 95 retail liquor vends in the city on March 6. Online bids can be submitted on the department’s website from March 6 to 14. Technical bids will be opened on March 14, while financial bids will be opened on March 15 at Hotel Parkview in Sector 24.

To participate in the bidding, vendors need to register on the department’s website. A help desk has also been set up at the excise and taxation office to assist bidders.