Bars & restaurants seek licence fee relief

JAIPUR: In September last year, when the excise department offered relief of 25% on the licence fees for restaurants and bars, many could not avail the benefits because of the conditions attached.
Now, as they demand relaxation on licence fees for the April-June quarter, they want the government to offer the same with an intention to help, not with riders to deprive the benefits.
“Last year, the government extended the 25% licence fee exemption to those who had paid before September. By that time, there was no clarity on the tourist movement or the local people visiting restaurants due to fear of the virus so many had not paid the licence fees. So they were deprived of the benefits,” said Abhishek Mishra, director at a city hotel.
He said that since the restaurants and bars have remained closed, the government should exempt them of the licence fees for the three months, added Mishra.
Another representative of the industry, Kuldeep Singh Chandela, president of Hotels, Restaurants Association of Rajasthan, said that the government should also scrape the clause that mandates bars and restaurants to sell 10% more liquor.
“When the outlets are closed, how can anybody sell 10% of more liquor? That’s why putting penalty on them for selling less defies all logic. The government should correct this anomaly, instead of trying to justify it,” added Chandela.
In fact, in February last year, hearing a petition one Hotel Mahaveer International Rajasthan High court had ordered that no coercive measure be taken for recovery of the penalty until further order.
Petitoner had said that the condition requiring enhanced sale and penalty on failure has no legal basis and the same is contrary to a part of the Liquor Policy itself, inasmuch as, the petitioners have been restrained from advertisement and/or attracting people for sale of liquor.