Chandigarh: Liquor prices up few pegs from May 16

CHANDIGARH: Liquor prices in the city will go up from May 16 after the UT excise and taxation department levies the cow cess. The UT is still to take a call on the imposition of Covid-19 fee on booze.
The cow cess will be levied at Rs 5 per bottle on 750ml of country liquor, Rs 5 per bottle on 650ml of beer and Rs 10 per bottle on 750ml of whisky. It will be deposited by the wholesale licencees in the bank account of the municipal corporation.
Recently, the department had extended the excise policy from May 15 to June 30 owing to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown. The department had even written to all hotels, restaurants, clubs and liquor vend owners to give their consent on or before May 15. The administration had earlier extended the excise policy from April 1 to May 15.
The latest order by the administration on cow cess stated, “The administration has notified January 30, 2020, the levy of cow cess on liquor and the same will be applicable for the extended period of the excise policy 2019-20 from May 16 to June 30”.
Under Clause 68 of the policy, cow cess was to be levied from April 1 on country liquor, whisky, and beer in view of the notification under Section 7 of the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act of 1955, which is in accordance with the resolution that the general house of the Chandigarh municipal corporation had passed.
A senior UT official said that earlier the cow cess was to be levied from April 1, but due to lockdown, they couldn’t implement it. Now, the cow cess will be levied from May 16 on the previous policy of 2019-20, he added.
While opposing UT’s decision to impose cow cess on previous policy, a liquor trader said when the new policy has not come into force, how can they impose cow cess. The administration is selectively imposing points beneficial to them and not liquor traders, he added.
It was on March 6 that the UT administration had released its excise policy for 2020-21, allowing bars in five-star hotels to remain open round-the-clock. It had earlier cancelled the liquor shops’ auction which was scheduled to be held on March 23.