Liquor Traders Move HC Against Differential Renewal Fee for Toddy Tappers
The petitioners contended that the differential fee structure was discriminatory and sought the court’s intervention.
Vijayawada: Guntur-based liquor shop owners moved the High Court on Tuesday challenging the differential fee structure between open-category traders and reserved-category toddy tappers (Geetha Kulalu) for renewal of liquor shop licences under the new excise policy for 2026-27.
Senior counsel Vedula Venkata Ramana raised the matter before a two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Lisa Gill, seeking an urgent hearing. The court scheduled the hearing for Wednesday.
The petitioners challenged GO Nos. 579, 580 and 582 issued by the state government for renewal of liquor retail shop licences for 2026-27. They sought quashing of the orders, stating that the renewal fee for open-category liquor retail shops had been increased by 50 per cent and that there was a wide difference in the retail excise tax payable by open-category and reserved-category traders.
The petitioners contended that the differential fee structure was discriminatory and sought the court’s intervention.
They cited the example of liquor retail shops within the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation limits. For an open-category shop, the annual retail excise tax for 2025-26 was Rs 93.50 lakh. With a 38 per cent renewal increase of Rs 35.5 lakh, the trader would have to pay about Rs 1.29 crore for 2026-27, while a reserved-category trader would pay Rs 64.6 lakh, they said.
The petitioners said their earlier petition challenging the 50 per cent concession in fee for reserved-category liquor shops under the excise policy for 2024-26 was still pending before the court. They contended that continuing the same practice for renewal of licences to reserved-category traders in 2026-27 was unlawful.
