Liquor makers Urge Odisha Govt To Cut Down On COVID-19 Fee

Bhubaneswar : Manufacturers of alcoholic beverages have urged the Odisha Government to reduce the Special COVID-19 Fee imposed on liquor from 50 per cent to a reasonable rate and allow retailers in the state to sell such products from outlets, an official said on Saturday.

“We have submitted a representation to the chief minister and said that as a responsible industry body, we also work towards collective interests of other important stakeholders, including the Government, traders, society and the consumers,” said CIABC director general Vinod Giri.

“Besides bringing down sales and the Government’s tax revenues, it is also pushing some consumers towards illicit and unlawful alcohol which poses serious health risks.

Liquor sales in May have declined by 87 per cent as compared to that in the year-ago month, Giri said.

He said the CIABC has urged the Odisha Government to reduce the Special COVID-19 Fee to a level that the consumer prices do not go up by more than 10 to 15 per cent.

“We presented an analysis showing how the imposition of high corona taxes by Delhi and Andhra Pradesh had severely brought down liquor sales and by implication, Government tax revenues,” he said.