Proposed excise licence fee hike cut to 50%: Govt

We had to consider everyone's views, so the CM and I agreed to lower the hike to 50% RB TIMMAPUR, Excise minister

- Arun Dev

BENGALURU: The state government on Thursday rolled back its decision to double the liquor excise license renewal fees and announced a more moderate 50% hike, which will come into effect from July 1. The move follows strong opposition from liquor sellers and craft alcohol producers, some of whom threatened to shift operations to other states after the May 15 draft proposal mentioned a 100% hike.

"We had to consider everyone's views, so the CM and I agreed to lower the hike to 50%," said excise minister RB Timmapur. He admitted that while the original proposal aimed to boost state revenue by ₹600-700 crore annually, the government opted for a balanced approach. The state also extended the validity of excise licenses from one year to five years—a key demand from the industry.