Hyderabad: Guzzlers and liquor sellers help TS set a new excise revenue record, in the process helping the state go past AP in excise revenues. The TS Prohibition and Excise department earned a record Rs 12,143.88 crore in financial year 2015-2016, a growth of 18.61 per cent compared to last year. In 2014-15, it had earned Rs 10,238.78 crore.
As many as 238.62 lakh cases of Indian Made Liquor sales were sold while beer accounted for 334.56 lakh cases. Interestingly, the government had initially fixed a target of Rs 12,207.82 crore but subsequently lowered it to Rs 11,707 crore. Surpassing all expectations, liquor sales and revenues zoomed to an all-time high. In tune with rise in liquor sales, the government is likely to enhance the target by at least 10 per cent in financial year 2016-2017.
Prohibition and excise commissioner R.V. Chandravadan told DC that growing demand as well as multiple administrative measures resulted in the record excise revenue. “We curbed illicit flow of liquor to a large extent, plugged loopholes in the system, tightened vigil along borders to check smuggling of liquor into the state from neighbouring states, besides streamlining and making hassle-free licence and permit systems,” Dr Chandravardan said. He said the two year liquor licence policy too proved a boon for dealers since they got sufficient time to stabilise instead of annual rental auctions.
Neighbouring Tamil Naidu earned Rs 22,027.58 crore, Karnataka Rs 13,3387.62 crore and Kerala Rs 8,925.30 crore. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the IMFL retail sale is through government corporations while TS and AP auction the retail outlets. The Kerala government, in its 2014-15 liquor policy, closed all bars except those in five star hotels from October 1, 2014.
