Liquor might soon become more expensive in Telangana
The excise department is working out modalities to additional revenue.
Hyderabad: Liquor might soon become more expensive in Telangana. With huge commitments towards welfare and developmental schemes, the state government is contemplating hiking taxes on liquor and tap other excise sources to mobilise an additional Rs 3,000 crore this financial year. The excise department is working out modalities to additional revenue.
Excise department earned 8000 crore
After bifurcation, the Telangana state government had set an excise revenue target of Rs 12,200 crore for 2015-16 to meet its huge welfare and developmental activities. The excise department has earned '8,000 crore till date and hopes to meet the target by the financial year-end.
In the meantime, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and finance minister Etela Rajender held discussions with excise officials and discussed the scope to raise an additional '3,000 crore in excise revenues this financial year.
It is learnt that officials gave a positive reply and also prepared a blueprint to reach the new milestone. The blueprint will be presented to the Chief Minister, finance minister and deputy Chief Minister Mohd Mahamood Ali for green signal.
“It’s a fact that there is a proposal to revise excise taxes and take other steps to raise additional revenues. There has been no revision of excise taxes in three years. The government is also under tremendous pressure to meet its huge commitments towards welfare and developmental schemes. Mopping up of all kinds of revenues including excise is the only way out,” a senior official said.
The recent notification for grant of licences to run wine shops for the next two years, meanwhile, has received a huge response. As many as 30,987 applications were received for 2,111 shops in the state out of the total 2,216 retail outlets notified. In all, 2,109 licenses were disposed last year by draw of lots and 107 were pending.