Tamil Nadu records Rs 441.38 crore in Deepavali liquor sales, down from Rs 789.85 crore last year amid shop closures and heavy rains.
Sale of liquor ahead of Deepavali, celebrated on Sunday, was Rs 441.38, which was lower than the sales in the previous year for the same festival and during the recent other festivals, leading to Trichy region topping in sales with Rs 98.97 crore revenue among the various regions wresting the earlier distinction of being the highest consumer of alcohol from Madurai.
According to government statistics, the total sales of liquor during last year’s Deepavali was Rs 790 crore and it was Rs 520 crore for the Pongal festival that came after that.
This year sales on Deepavali eve was Rs 234.75 crore, on Deepavali Day was 206.63 crore, the official figures said, adding that the sales figures when compared with that of earlier years show a decline in off take this year.
In 2025, 3-day sales of alcohol during Deepavali (October 18, 19, 20) was at Rs 789.85 crore and during Pongal this year for Boghi and Pongal was Rs 789.85 crore. The official estimate is that the sales for Deepavali this year was less by 348 crore than the previous Deepavali Rs 77 crore lower than Pongal.
The decline in liquor sales this year is attributed to the protest by TASMAC employees, who shut 600 shops from November 1 to express anger against the TVK government’s Environment Cess and the order that all payments over Rs 1000 should be made digitally. The protest led to shops remaining closed on the Sunday ahead of Deepavali Day, too.
Another reason for the drop in sales was Cyclone Murasu that brought heavy rains to many districts, including Chenna. Though media reports said that the rains did not dampen the sales in TASMAC shops with people standing in long queues to buy liquor. But sales in shops were less.
The imposition of an Rs 10 environmental tax from November 1 also led to people hesitating to buy liquor.
However, drop in sales of liquor could be detrimental to the State’s economy as tax from TASMAC is the prime source of revenue for the State that collected Rs 50,845 crore as tax from alcohol in 2025-26.
