Delhi govt levies 70% 'Special Corona Fee' on sale of liquor; Andhra Pradesh charges 75%

The Delhi government has levied a special fee on the sale of alcohol in the national capital, owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-necessitated nationwide lockdown currently in place. The charge, called the 'Special Corona Fee' is being levied at 70% of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on all categories of liquor from the customer at all the stores selling them.

Further, the notice instructed the liquor stores to compile the daily sale of alcohol "vend-wise" and submit a 'consolidated statement' to the Delhi government on a daily basis. "The collected Special Corona Fee shall be reimbursed to the government on a weekly basis," the order states.

"A copy of this order should be prominently displayed by the licensees at every vend before starting any liquor sale w.e.f. 05/05/2020," the order added.

In related news, the Andhra Pradesh state government has also hiked another 50% price on the sale of liquor. Yesterday, the YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress government in the state had hiked 25% on the sale of liquor. Therefore, combining both the hikes, the aggregate surplus charge on the sale of liquor in Andhra Pradesh now is 75%. The state government has said that this measure was taken in view of controlling the liquor consumption.

In West Bengal, too, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in the state had hiked the price of liquor by 30% a week back.

The state governments are presumably attempting to levy a charge on the sale of liquor to generate revenues on the consumption of alcohol and use it for stimulus amid the COVID-19 lockdown, as India copes with a struggling economy.