· Maharashtra records all-time high excise duty collection of Rs 17,177.19 crore in 2021-22
· Other all-time highs: Nos. of crimes registered and accused arrested, seizure of illegal liquor
· Rise in excise duty last fiscal was 13.83%, with sales picking up since July 2021, with periodic relaxation in Covid curbs
· Tipplers had cheered on being able to go and buy liquor after the unlocking
Mumbai: Liquor is quicker, when it comes to raking in revenue and the Maharashtra excise department can vouch for the fact, having reported an all-time high excise duty collection of Rs 17,177.19 crore in 2021-22. This is the highest amount collected since 2012-13, a 13.83 per cent rise compared to Rs 15,089.29 crore in 2020-21. The latter period was largely impacted by the coronavirus induced lockdowns. Buoyed by the numbers, the excise department is seeking a new high, setting an ambitious target of Rs 22,000 crore for 2022-23.
Tipplers cheered when the state government allowed the physical sale of liquor, instead of online or home delivery since July last year, as Covid cases declined.
So exactly how much liquor was guzzled down to generate this record revenue? 34.83 crore litres of country liquor were sold in 2021-22, as against 32.08 crore litres in 2020-21, 23.58 crore litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) as against 19.99 crore litres, 23.13 crore litres of beer as against 20.12 crore litres and 0.86 crore litres of wine as against 0.71 crore litres in the same periods respectively.
State Excise Commissioner Kantilal Umap told The Free Press Journal, “This is the collective effort of controlling crime, effective sales management and minimising probable leakages in revenue. There is a big shift from the purchase of beer to IMFL, which was visible in 2021-22. Normal beer sales, generally at 30 crore litres per year, have declined to 23.13 crore litres. However, IMFL sales have surged from 19.99 crore litres, to 23.58 crore litres.”
Umap said excise duty collection had been rising since 2012-13. It was Rs 9,297.06 crore in 2012-13, Rs 10,101.14 crore in 2013-14, Rs 11,397 crore in 2014-15, Rs 12,469.84 crore in 2015-16, Rs 12,287.90 crore in 2016-17, Rs 13,448.56 crore in 2017-18, Rs 15,322.78 crore in 2018-19, Rs 15,428.50 crore in 2019-20, Rs 15,089.29 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 17,177.19 crore in 2021-22.
Further, the excise department has also reported a record 47,750 offences, arrested 34,849 and seized illegal liquor worth Rs 144.44 crore. “There has been an all-time high number of crimes registered, accused arrested and seizure of illegal liquor in 2021-22,” said Umap.
