Andhra Latest News: Private Liquor Shops in the State Will Be Opened from October 12 in the State. The government released notification for the allotment 3,396 of liquor shops for the period of two years as per the new excise policy of the government.
Online and offline applications will be accepted from October 1 for the allotment of the shops. GO As many as 3,396 liquor shops will be allotted to the private persons in the open category. Another 340 shops will be reserved for allocation to ‘Geetha Kulalu’ with the objective of empowering them and thus furthering equity and social justice.
The government will issue a separate notification for the allotment of 12 elite liquor shops in the state for the sale of premium brands. These shops will be established at Guntur, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada, Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa and Anantapur or any other city which will be notified by government from time to time.
Licenses for premium stores will be given for five years with an annual retail excise tax amount of Rs 1 crore with a stipulated 10 per cent every year.
The government has fixed the application money for each liquor shop at Rs 2 lakh. There is no restriction for a person to apply for more than one liquor shop. Applications are open from October 1 and the last date is October 9. Lottery will be held on October 11 for allotting liquor shops. Applicants who got shop allotment in the lottery, have to pay a one-year licence fee within a day. Private Liquor Shops will be opened on October 12.
The old excise policy had come to an end on 1st October, and since the new excise policy is in the offing, the government has extended the old excise policy till October 11.
According to the notice, retail excise tax or license fee works out to Rs 50 lakh for a locality with a population of 10,000 and goes up to Rs 85 lakh per annum for a municipality or municipal corporation having a population of over 5 lakh during fiscal 2024-2025.It will be enhanced by 10 for 2025-26. The total exercise is likely to help the state government earning Rs 5,500 crore. RET per annum will be paid in six equal advance instalments as applicable for each year during the licence period 2024-26.
As notified, retailer margin will be 20 percent on issue price in all categories of IMFL and FL, which includes beer, wine and RTDs.
A cabinet sub-committee of the state government had studied the excise policies of states such as Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and also taken extensive feedback from key stakeholders, before framing the latest policy. It had assessed the performance of the existing policy with respect to public health impact and other critical metrics, said the state government.