India Made Overseas Liquor (IMFL) and Imported Overseas Liquor (IFL) is about to pinch the pockets of tipplers in Punjab with the state Cupboard Thursday approving a brand new excise coverage for the 2025-26 fiscal, with an intention to gather Rs 11,020 crore in income — an increase of Rs 875 crore over final fiscal.
A choice to this impact was taken in a gathering of Council of Ministers, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Addressing media after the assembly, Finance and Excise Minister Harpal Singh Cheema mentioned his division would generate a income of Rs 10,200 crore by the top of March this 12 months as towards the goal of Rs 10,145 crore for 2024-25.
“Final 12 months, we had been capable of obtain 100 per cent goal. There’s an unimaginable enhance within the income over final three years and it’s for the primary time that the gathering has crossed the Rs 10,000 crore-mark. The excise assortment within the final 12 months SAD-BJP authorities (2007) was Rs 4,405 crore and within the final 12 months of the Congress regime (2022) was Rs 6,254 crore,” mentioned Cheema.
A number of sources with entry to the brand new excise coverage mentioned, it envisages a rise of Rs 10 to Rs 20 per bottle of IMFL and Rs 30 to Rs 40 for IFL, relying on the manufacturers. There isn’t a change within the charges for the Punjabi Medium Liquor (PML) or country-made liquor and beer.
Even because the annual quota for IMFL and IFL stays limitless, the federal government has elevated enhance the PML quota by 3 per cent — from 8.286 crore proof litres in 2024-25 to eight.534 crore proof litres in 2025-26.
A senior official justified fixing the quota for PML. “We now have to have a hard and fast quota for PML as our state has quite a few native distillers manufacturing this liquor. The price of PML per bottle of some manufacturers is as little as Rs 60. If the quota is open, then it will likely be like opening a can of worms and distilleries may additionally find yourself promoting hooch below the garb of PML. For the sake of controlling the commerce, we’d like a hard and fast quota. The rise in quota will mobilize further income and guarantee sufficient availability of nation liquor”.
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In the meantime, to encourage establishing of extra standalone beer retailers, the federal government has diminished its license payment to Rs 25,000 for 2025-26, a drastic reduce from Rs 2 lakh per store within the ongoing fiscal.
An official within the excise division mentioned that final 12 months solely 25 new beer retailers had been arrange throughout the state.
The federal government has additionally made the group dimension of vends larger for the subsequent fiscal. Now, each group will likely be price Rs 40 crore, plus-minus 20 per cent. Therefore, the variety of teams will likely be diminished to 207 in comparison with the sooner 236.
Through the ongoing monetary 12 months, the retail vends had been allotted at an annual license payment of Rs 8,486 crore. For the 2025-26 fiscal, the reserve value for all tentative 207 teams shall be fastened at Rs 9,017 crore.
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Small contractors are, nevertheless, upset with the federal government making group dimension larger. They declare that it was aimed toward making the enterprise monopolistic in favour of massive contractors, whereas smaller ones could be weeded out. A authorities official, nevertheless, mentioned that there was no ban on cartels and “small contractors can get collectively and kind a gaggle”.
Cheema, in the meantime, knowledgeable that to additional strengthen enforcement, new excise police stations will likely be arrange. On this regard, a committee has been shaped, he mentioned.
He mentioned the cow welfare cess has been elevated from Re 1 per proof litre to Rs 1.50 per proof litre. It can result in a rise in income from Rs 16 crore to Rs 24 crore, he mentioned.
Additional, with a view to give aid to defence forces, the payment of their wholesale licence has been diminished by 50 per cent from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.
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With the intention to promote tourism, the possession restrict of licence holders of farm stays has been elevated from 12 quarts of Indian Made Overseas Liquor (IMFL) to 36 quarts. They will additionally preserve 25 bottles of beer, wine, gin and vodka as towards 12 bottles allowed earlier.
To offer higher client expertise, one mannequin store in every group has been made necessary for retail licensees in Municipal Company areas. The payment of standalone beer retailers has been diminished from Rs 2 lakh per store to Rs 25,000 per store.
To advertise new funding within the state, new bottling crops have been allowed to be arrange, an official mentioned.
The federal government can also be switching again to e-tendering for allotment of vends, ditching the draw of tons system that it had earlier introduced in.
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An official mentioned, “We’re competing towards Chandigarh and can’t permit the costs of liquor to be be costlier right here than within the state capital. It will assist us cease smuggling that used to occur up to now. Additionally to mop up income, we’re taking a look at excise payment, import payment, license payment and bottling payment. There was a marginal enhance in these. Additionally, recent e-tendering will fetch us extra money”.
