Liquor price to go up in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The retail price of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is all set to increase in Kerala as the state government on Wednesday decided to raise the sales tax on liquor by four per cent.

A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, took a decision to forgo the five per cent Turnover Tax (ToT) levied on distilleries which are manufacturing and selling foreign liquor within the state.

It also decided to increase the Sales Tax on foreign liquor, levied under the Kerala General Sales Tax Act, 1963, by four per cent.

A CMO statement here said it also gave nod to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation to increase its warehouse margin by one per cent.

"Currently, there will be no change in the price of foreign liquor procured from the Corporation distilleries..." the statement said.

The price of foreign liquor will be increased by two per cent for customers.

The waiving off ToT on distilleries would result in loss of revenue to the southern state and to cover that the present Kerala General Sales Tax rate would be increased by four per cent, the statement added.

"For that, a Bill will be presented in the Assembly to amend the Kerala General Sales Tax Act, 1963,'' it said.

Among other things, the Cabinet decided to grant an additional government guarantee of Rs 100 crore to the Kerala State Women's Development Corporation to avail funds from the National Minority Development Finance Corporation.

The criteria/guidelines to identify eligible prisoners for granting special relaxation of sentences on occasions like Independence Day, Republic Day and so on, would be revised.

It also decided to buy new Mahindra Bolero vehicles for the police, excise and fingerprint bureaus, the statement said.