Liquor shops seek change in fixed fee payment rule

Ranchi: Liquor sellers in Jharkhand have requested the government to collect the monthly duty based on their sales instead of charging them the fixed amount since “they are incurring losses in view of the Covid situation”. The Jharkhand Khudra Sharab Vikreta (JKSV) has written to chief minister Hemant Soren, seeking an immediate resolution to their problem.
JKSV secretary Subodh Jaiswal said, “Every liquor trader generally has to pay an amount ranging from Rs 18 lakh to Rs 41 lakh as duty to the government every month. This month, too, the amount would be deducted from our accounts directly even though alcohol sales are down by 30%-15%.”
Jaiswal demanded that instead of deducting a fixed amount the government should mobilise taxes according to the procurement of materials from Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited. “This way the government’s revenue will not be affected and the traders can run their business properly,” he said.
Even though liquor shops have been exempted from the ongoing week-long lockdown announced by the state government to contain the virus spread, the traders said that customers are not stepping out of their homes and many are even saving for exigencies in case they or their family members get infected and require hospitalisation. “These factors have led to a sharp fall in the sale of liquor,” Jaiswal said.
He further said that the restrictions put on the number of attendees in weddings and allowing restaurants and hotels to stay open for home delivery only have also led to a decline in alcohol consumption. He added, “The fact that shops are closing after 8 pm is not helping business either.”
Even the sale of beer, which grows exponentially during summers, is adversely affected, Jaiswal said.
JKSV said that if their problems aren’t sorted out at the earliest, the shops will down their shutters soon.