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Liquor all set to get cheaper in Gurugram as state govt cuts taxes
VK Beniwal, the deputy commissioner of excise and taxation, Gurugram (east), said that as part of the policy, 60% of excise duty and 4% of VAT have been reduced on IFL.
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The prices of imported foreign liquor (IFL) in Gurugram are likely to decrease from June as the excise duty and value-added tax (VAT) on the sale of liquor have been reduced as part of Haryana’s new excise policy announced on Friday.
The new rules, which will come into effect from June 12, aim to counter the Capital’s excise policy which was released in November, under which bars and restaurants serving liquor can remain open till 3am, by allowing bars in Gurugram to stay open till 8am as long as their owners pay the excise department an annual additional fee of ₹20 lakh, excise officials said. The timings for liquor vends remain unchanged (from 8am to 12am), said officials. The policy will also allow more liquor vends in a single zone, and drinking places adjacent to liquor vends, which were called “ahatas”, have been renamed as “taverns”.
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VK Beniwal, the deputy commissioner of excise and taxation, Gurugram (east), said that as part of the policy, 60% of excise duty and 4% of VAT have been reduced on IFL. “The overall prices will reduce after re-tendering of the vends (annual auction of vends) in June. There has been a slight decline in the excise duty and VAT on India-made foreign liquor (IMFL) but only for limited brands, including Blenders Pride, Teachers, 100 Pipers,” he said.
Vendors said that the price of imported scotch is likely to go down by ₹300 to ₹450 for a one-litre bottle, and that of IMFL whisky by ₹150 to ₹300. Even beer will become cheaper with a case of 12 set to cost ₹150 less.
Beniwal said that since there is no maximum retail price on liquor in Haryana, they can sell it at any price without having to give discounts, and still offer customers better deals than Delhi. “Liquor shops will reduce their prices and will compete with Delhi and duty-free shops. Now footfall will increase in Gurugram,” he said.
Officials said earlier there used to be two liquor vends in a zone, the number has now been increased to four, and to prevent drunken behaviour in public, only one tavern will be allowed in a retail zone. Beniwal said, “The number of liquor vends will also increase in the city and the revenues will go up. It will be mandatory for all liquor vends and restaurants to issue invoices through Point of Sale to increase transparency. In case of violation of this provision, a penalty of ₹5,000 per incident shall be imposed on the licensee and repeated violations will attract cancellation of licence,” he said..
