The state government has hit upon an idea that will net it an extra Rs 1,000 crore from the sale of liquor. The excise department on Saturday changed the pricing of liquor by substituting “rounded off to the nearest rupee” with “rounded off to the higher five rupees” with regard to sale of liquor in retail outlets by the Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation Limited.
For instance, while a 180 ml bottle of liquor priced at Rs 95.50 would have cost Rs 96 earlier, it will now be jacked up to the next five rupee slot, i.e. Rs 100. Asutosh Mishra, principal secretary of revenue (excise-II) department, issued the orders on Saturday, which the government expects will enhance its revenues by Rs 1,000 crore per annum.
According to wine dealers, the move will now impose an additional financial burden on consumers, es-pecially since the prices were hiked only last month due to the new excise policy. They said that liquor will now be costlier by around Rs 250 per case, which will be ultimately passed on to the consumers.