Liquor to cost more in HP from April 1
Shimla: Liquor and beer will cost more in Himachal Pradesh from April 1 onwards.
After having decided to go in for an open auction of the liquor vends in the state, the Congress government has decided to levy a cess of Rs 17 per bottle. This includes the existing cess of Rs 7 per bottle.
The idea is to raise additional revenue from the sale of liquor in the state to fund some of the newly introduced schemes including the re-introduction of the Old Pension Scheme.
The state has a debt of Rs 75,000 cr and additional liabilities to pay Rs 11,000 crore as arrears of the enhanced salaries, apart from DA instalments.
In a move to mobilise resources, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has already decided to impose cess on water consumed at hydro-power projects, revised the water tariff in Shimla and also decided to levy additional cess on liquor bottles.
The campaign to earn revenue from the state government is going to be heavy on the pockets of the consumers.
The consumers have already been paying ‘Cow Cess’ on liquor bottles in the state –money raised to set up ‘gau sadans’ for stray cattle.
This time the government has imposed an additional cess of Rs 10 to be called as ‘Milk Cess’. The excise and taxation department has notified a policy in this regard.
Milk Cess has been imposed on English and country liquor, beer, wine and foreign liquor.
Apart from this, a cess of Rs 2.50 per bottle will be charged to the Godhan Development Fund. At the time of the Covid crisis in the state, the government had changed the name of this cess to ‘Covid Cess’.
Now, the Covid Cess has been discontinued and its name has been changed to ‘Cow Cess’. The cess tax and excise of Rs 1.50 per bottle will be taken in the name of the development fund.
The cess of Rs 2 per bottle will go to Panchayati Raj Institutions. One rupee cess will be given to the health department for ambulance services. Overall, consumers will have to pay a cess of Rs 17 per bottle of liquor and beer during the financial year 2023-24.
Liquor contracts will be auctioned in Himachal from March 16 to 18. The Excise and Taxation department has released the schedule for the submission of applications and the auction.
Meanwhile, in yet another move the government proposes to raise additional resources from the auction of toll barriers.
The entry fee for vehicles with numbers from outside states will increase from Rs 10 to Rs 50. The government has notified 24-hour entry fees to be charged from different categories of vehicles at toll barriers for the financial year 2023-24. New rates will be applicable in the state from April 1, 2023. Heavy goods vehicles will now have to pay Rs 500 instead of Rs 450. For 6 to 12-seater passenger vehicles will have to pay Rs 80 and for more than 12 seats will have to pay Rs 140. Private vehicle drivers will now have to pay a fee of Rs 50 instead of Rs 40.
The Excise and Taxation department has fixed the rates of the entry fee for 55 toll barriers coming under the state. The category of goods vehicles has been changed this time. Earlier there was only one category of vehicles carrying more than 120 quintals.
