Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 04 2010:
The state government has increased the excise duty/license fee on liquor for the exempted categories of military and paramilitary forces double the existing rates, an official source said Saturday.
Prohibition was imposed in the state since 1991.However, state Excise Department continues to issue liquor license and import permit to the military and para-military deployed in the state after charging a concessional rate of excise duty.
The existing rates are, Rs.1000 as license fee, Rs.30 per LPL of rum, Rs.50 per LPL of IMFL (Indian made foreign liquor, Rs.4 per BL of beer and ' 14 per BL of wine.
These have been increased to Rs.10,000, Rs.60, Rs.100, Rs.8 and Rs.28 respectively.
The revision has been made after seven years, the last revision was made in 2002 .
The revision was made after the Committee on Resource Mobilization held a meeting on September 1 and cabinet has given its approval, the official said.
Prohibition, enforced from April 1, 1991, has been a drag on Manipur's finances by denying the state sales tax, excise duty, and license fees from bonded warehouses, wholesale and retail outlets which, according to some internal estimates are worth Rs.60 crores every year, which is almost equal to the total revenue raised through the state's own taxes, the report maintains.