Hitting the bottle

THE liquor trade is a major money-spinner for state governments across the country. Haryana is no exception. The state’s earnings from excise duty have been rising steadily in recent years. The collections expected in the current financial year are to the tune of Rs 6,600-6,700 crore, while the target for 2020-21 is pegged at over Rs 7,500 crore. With the avowed aim of giving Delhi and Chandigarh a run for their revenue, Haryana has come up with an excise policy favourable to bar owners as well as tipplers in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Panchkula. From April 1, bars in these three districts can remain open till 3 am. The owners would have to pay an additional annual licence fee of Rs 10 lakh per hour to extend their closing time beyond 1 am. Beer and wine are set to become cheaper; the licence fee for hotels and restaurants serving liquor has been reduced almost throughout the state; and the total number of vends would increase from 2,500 to 2,600.

It’s not uncommon for a government to justify a liberal excise policy on the plea that greater revenue translates into more resources to fund development projects. The concerns of the key stakeholders — the government, the manufacturers, the licensees and the consumers — should be addressed, but there is another important group that can’t be ignored: the non-drinkers, including the consumer’s family, which often bears the brunt of alcohol abuse. It’s important to factor in the social cost of increased consumption, besides the threat to law and order owing to drunken brawls, particularly at odd hours, and a possible spurt in the number of drunken driving cases.

By its own admission, the Haryana Excise and Taxation Department has to ‘give due weightage to the health and well-being of the citizens of the state’, but at the same time ensure that ‘revenue interests of the government are not compromised’. The new policy fails to strike a balance between these two considerations, raising doubts about the government’s commitment to curbing alcoholism and drug abuse.

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