Manufacturers of alcoholic Beverages have urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee not to alter the existing structure of tax on liquor before the festive seasons as it will hit the market.
In a joint representation to the chief minister, two major liquor makers’ associations -- Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) and International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) -- have said if the current tax structure is changed before pujas, it would prove “counterproductive” for both the government and the industry. The state Government had imposed a 30 per cent sales tax on liquor causing “a deep slide in sales and thus hurting the government exchequer”, they said.