Want booze, pay more in Delhi: All you need to know about ‘special corona fee’
Hundreds of people had lined up outside standalone shops since Monday morning to buy liquor flouting social distancing norms, forcing police to baton charge in some areas and forcing shops to close.
The Delhi government has said it will charge a “special corona fee” on sale of alcohol from Tuesday, a day after liquor shops were opened in the national capital after more than a month.
The third phase of lockdown began on Monday and will continue until May 17 with some relaxations. Opening of liquor shops was one of them. (Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times)
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Hundreds of people had lined up outside standalone shops since Monday morning to buy liquor flouting social distancing norms, forcing police to baton charge in some areas and forcing shops to close.
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The third phase of lockdown began on Monday and will continue until May 17 with some relaxations. Opening of liquor shops was one of them.
Here’s all about the “special corona fee”:
* In accordance with the latest lockdown relaxations given by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), about 150 government-run liquor shops have been allowed to open from 9am to 6.30pm in Delhi.
* The Delhi government’s finance department issued the order late on Monday night.
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* “70 per cent of the maximum retail price on all categories of liquor sold through retail licensees for consumption off the premises,” the finance department’s order signed by the deputy secretary reads.
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* “70 per cent of the maximum retail price on all categories of liquor sold through retail licensees for consumption off the premises,” the finance department’s order signed by the deputy secretary reads.
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* “It will be 70% of the MRP (maximum retail price). The new rates will be imposed from Tuesday morning,” the government said in the statement.
* So if a liquor bottle with a pre-tax MRP costs ₹1000, you will now have to pay ₹1700.
* Officials have said the “special corona tax” will help in boosting the revenue, badly hit due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
* Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Sunday that the government is finding it difficult to pay the salaries due to revenue loss of ₹3200 crore in April as compared to the previous year.
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* It can be one of the ways the Delhi government can earn more revenue from liquor sales with lockdown hitting businesses and tax collection.
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