Each year, an Excise Policy is announced more or less on the same pattern but this year’s Excise Policy has assumed importance in the sense that the tax on alcohol or the ‘sin tax’ has been enhanced by 50 percent of MRP of liquor bottles in Jammu and Kashmir . Many states did it , some rolled it back as it has proved the immediate and major revenue earner for almost all state and UT Governments, bailing out many states from the immediate cash crunch. That apart , this year’s Excise Policy announced recently which was otherwise due by the ending March but was extended to June due to COVID pandemic , envisages more ‘transparency ‘ and ‘objectivity’ so far as renewal, cancellation , transfer of licences and penalties were concerned.
The concern has been to optimise revenues from the sale of liquor for ‘common good’ and at the same time, bring about consciousness about the harmful effects of consuming liquor and alcoholic beverages . Since cost of country made and Indian made ‘foreign ‘ liquor has considerably increased following COVID 19 pandemic effects on revenues, those engaged in manufacturing of spurious liquor and bootlegging activities are expected to be on the rise which need to be dealt with effectively. Import from other states where the stuff was comparatively cheaper would offset gains in revenue which needed to be checked.
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