PANJIM: The Goa Liquor Traders Association on Thursday stated that increase in excise duty is making sale of liquor multiple times expensive than in the Northern States.
Addressing media persons after meeting the Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad, Association’s president Dattaprasad Naik said that the liquor, both Indian made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and foreign liquor in the State is costlier than majority of the States in North India. Due to this wine shops are entirely dependent on the customers from South India.
“Since the last 10 years, excise duty on liquor has been increased. We are in such a situation that the entire North India gets cheaper liquor than Goa. Now we are at mercy of a few South Indian States. North Indian tourists don’t buy from us due to the rate difference,” Naik said.
He said, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had announced in his budget about reduction in excise duty. But nothing has happened in the last two months due to which wine shops are facing lot of hardships. Most of customers from North India are just not buying liquor because of difference in rates, he said, adding that reduction of duty will promote sales as these liquor bottles are taken outside the State by tourists.
The Association also raised its strong objection to the government’s move to grant a wine shop licence to a corporate company from Mumbai at the newly commissioned Manohar international Airport at Mopa.
The Association submitted its objection pointing out that as per law a wine shop licence can be granted to a person only when he possesses a certificate of residing in Goa for the past 25 years.
Naik said that government is planning to amend the rules relaxing norms to allow wine shop at the airport premise to outsiders. He said that in the new notification, the Chief Minister will have power to grant licences to non-Goans at the airport on the pretext to boost tourism.
“This is a clear attack on Bahujan Samaj and minorities, who have been into this business for the last several years,” Naik said.
“Will the footfall of tourists increase if there are wine shops at the airport?” he asked.
Naik said that by allowing wine shops at Mopa airport, the collective sale of 3076 wine shops of the State will benefit one single person.
Naik said that a similar case had happened in 2012, wherein one person from Mumbai was given license at Dabolim airport to run a wine shop, which was later cancelled after illegalities were brought to notice of the then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
“This is nothing but a cartelisation like what happened in the Delhi liquor scam. The deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has been sent behind bars on the same issue, as he tried to benefit certain people. Isn’t this, what is happening here, the cartelisation,” Naik questioned.
