The state cabinet had approved a hike in excise duty on liquor earlier this month, and now from Wednesday, consumers will begin to feel the impact as the state government has issued a formal notification detailing the revised rates.
The notification applies to Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), which includes beverages like whisky, rum, and vodka. However, beer prices will remain unchanged, according to sources.
Any liquor stock sold after Wednesday will attract the increased duty. However, there is some relief for consumers, as the notification allows manufacturers to continue selling old stock at existing prices if they choose to absorb the additional duty themselves. In such cases, manufacturers must pay the extra excise duty while continuing to sell at the old Minimum Retail Price (MRP).
Alternatively, manufacturers opting to pass on the duty hike will need to update pricing by stamping new MRPs on current labels or by printing fresh labels. They have until August 31 to comply. After that, any liquor with old, unstamped labels will be seized, the notification states.
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