Newly appointed Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai on Monday said the department will make all efforts to achieve its revenue mobilisation target of Rs 22,000 crore for 2022-23. Excise duty has been one of the major source of revenue for the state government after GST and VAT and stamp duty and registration free.
Desai today at the marathon meeting reviewed the present status of the department and the roadmap for future.
A senior excise department officer told the Free Press Journal, ‘’The state has witnessed an increase in the excise duty collection since 2012-13 which was at Rs 9297.06 crore, in Rs 10101.14 crore in 2013-14, Rs 11397 crore in 2014-15, Rs 12469.84 crore in 2015-16, Rs 12287.90 crore in 2016-17, Rs 13448.56 crore in 2017-18, Rs 15322.78 crore in 2018-19, Rs 15428.50 crore in 2019-20, Rs 15089.29 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 17,177.19 crore in 2021-22.‘’ He added that of the total excise duty, the department gets 58% from foreign liquor, 27% from country liquor and 15% from beer.
Desai hinted there was no proposal to review or stay the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s decision to reduce the excise duty on imported scotch whiskey by 50% in an effort to bring their prices on par with other states. The excise duty was brought down from 300 to 150 per cent of the manufacturing cost. Desai admitted that the decision has helped the department to mop up additional revenue.
Desai at the meeting said that the department will plan for 100 days to take decisions which would benefit the government the most. He declared that his priority will be to fill up 1200 vacant posts. He hinted that about 50% of those vacant posts will be filled up by the end of current fiscal.
