State cabinet gives nod for hike in excise duty on liquor, also approves proposals to grant statutory status to scheduled castes commission
State has also introduced a new category — grain-based Maharashtra Made Liquor (MML). Representation Pic/istock
The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved revenue-boosting changes in the excise department, including a hike in duty on liquor and the creation of new offices and posts. A high-level study group had examined policies from other states and submitted recommendations on state excise duty, licensing, and tax collection improvements, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated.
The CMO said the cabinet gave its nod to restructure the department, establish an integrated control cell with AI-based monitoring of distilleries, bottling plants, and wholesale licenses, and create a new divisional office in Mumbai along with six additional superintendent-level offices in Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, and Ahilyanagar districts.
As per the cabinet’s decision, excise duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) will be raised from three to 4.5 times the declared manufacturing cost (up to Rs 260 per bulk litre), while duty on country liquor will rise from Rs 180 to Rs 205 per proof litre. The state has also introduced a new category — grain-based Maharashtra Made Liquor (MML) — to be produced exclusively by local manufacturers. MML brands will require new registrations.
Revised minimum retail prices for 180 ml bottles are country liquor Rs 80, MML Rs 148, IMFL Rs 205, and premium foreign liquor Rs 360. To strengthen the department, the cabinet has approved the creation of 1223 new posts — 744 regular and 479 supervisory. The release further stated that these measures are expected to generate an additional Rs 14,000 crore annually in excise duties and related taxes.
The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has also approved a draft bill to grant statutory status to the Maharashtra State Scheduled Castes Commission. The bill will be tabled in the upcoming session of the state legislature. The commission was originally established in 2005. Following a recommendation by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to establish separate bodies for SCs and STs due to the distinct nature of issues they face, the state had recently set up two separate commissions.
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