Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar assures partial rollback of liquor fees

PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has assured to partially rollback the hike proposed in the state budget in the license fees for liquor warehouses.

President of All Goa liquor Traders Association Dattaprasad Naik told reporters that the chief minister has assured partial withdrawal of the licence fees for the non-bonded warehouses which are typically used for storing duty-paid liquor.

The association has around 1,000 members under its umbrella.

If the assurance materialises into action, it will benefit more than 2,000 traders across the state, he said.

Parrikar's proposal to raise the annual licence fees for all warehouses from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 caused discontent among the traders in the coastal state which is known for low-cost booze.

Naik, however, clarified that the fee structure for the bonded warehouses, which are usually run by the liquor companies and big-time traders, will remain the same.

Goa government in the budget presented on March 26 had proposed to hike the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the liquor from 20 per cent to 22 per cent resulting into increase in liquor prices.

The proposed raise in the fees for warehouses was feared to be affecting small-time traders.