Liquor buyers beware that you are not just paying the 16% hike in prices announced by the State government, but much more in the range of 20 to 24%.
When the shops were reopened on Wednesday, the buyers bought their favourite Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brands at ₹20 hike for a quarter bottle, ₹40 for half and ₹80 for full bottle at 16% hike for ‘A’ and ‘A plus’ medium range brands.
Revised list
A revised price list circulated to the shops by the Excise Department on Saturday hiked the prices to ₹30, ₹60 and ₹120 respectively.
The price increase was ₹30 per bottle over the rate prior to lockdown on both lager and strong beer (₹10 hike after Wednesday). Significantly, the new labels with enhanced rates have not been pasted on the bottles. The shops continue to sell at old MRP until stocks at depots of Bewerages Corporation exhausted. However, a scan of the hologram on bottles by mobile phones will reveal the present rate by downloading the app of the Excise Department, an official said.
D. Venkateswara Rao, president, Telangana Wine Dealers Association, said there was no margin for shop owners as the entire hike would go to government as special excise tax. When the shops were reopened on Wednesday, he said a bunch of brands in cheap, ‘A’, ‘A plus’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ categories were clubbed for hike.
While the hike was ₹10 a quarter bottle for cheap brands, it was ₹20 for ‘A’ and ‘A plus’, ₹30 for ‘C’ and ₹160 on ‘D’ - which is premium brand selling only in full bottles. But, the latest price list further hiked rates.
