Team Herald
MARGAO: Referring to the latest controversy with regards to the SMS sent by Excise Department, the Excise Commissionerate has clarified that all licencees are supposed to maintain Account of Liquor Transaction as per Rule 101 of Goa Excise Duty Act and Rules 1964 and submit the record to the department on a monthly basis.
It has also clarified that the use of app has not been made mandatory as yet.
Most licensees maintain the record in a register and later present it before the Excise Inspector. Through NIC, the Department had prepared a mobile app before the Lok Sabha election to make it easier for the licensees to maintain and submit this record. It was started in March 2019 and approximately 1000 licensees were using it as they found the digital mode more convenient.
To spread awareness, the department sent SMS to all registered licensees to further popularise the mobile app and spread awareness about the provision of the Act.
The use of the mobile app is not compulsory at present and licensees are free to maintain written records. Further only licensees dealing in the sale of liquor in packaged bottles (wholesale and retail) are expected to use this app and not the tavern, bar and restaurants as most of them use small quantities of different types of liquor in their day to day transactions.
Meanwhile, The Goa Forward Party on Monday welcomed the Excise Department’s decision to keep out bar and restaurant and tavern owners from using the app to give the daily report of the amount of alcohol they have purchased and sold.
Following a direction from the Excise Department to all bar and tavern owners to use this app, the GFP had threatened to agitate with pickets at every taluka office of the Excise Department and had pointed out that most owners are not conversant with the use of smartphones.
