[India]: Goa govt may soon allow tourists to take home more than two bottles of liquor

August 01, 2019

Goa earns an estimated Rs 500 crore in excise charges on the sale of liquor, and the state government wants to increase the amount.

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The Goa government wants tourists visiting the coastal state to be able to return with more than just two bottles of liquor, Hindustan Times has reported.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on July 30, while speaking in the Assembly, said the state government hopes to cash in on allowing tourists to return with more alcohol. He added that they were anyway taking more than the permitted two bottles, albeit illegally.

“We want to give permits that allow carrying more than two bottles. Today, they are allowed to carry one bottle of IMFL (Indian-Made Foreign Liquor) and one of local liquor. We want to promote Goan liquor. Our revenue will also grow,” the report quoted Sawant as saying.

Goa earns an estimated Rs 500 crore in excise charges on the sale of liquor, and the state government wants to increase the amount.

In an attempt to promote the sale of local liquor, the government has also decided to label Cashew Feni a “heritage drink”. Feni, a local drink brewed from the cashew fruit, was earlier given a Geographical Indicator (GI) tag.

CM Sawant, however, cautioned that the move would require consent from the bordering states of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

With liquor much cheaper in Goa, as compared to the two bordering states, smuggling is rampant across the porous borders.

Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, agreeing to the CM's proposal, said the state must not restrict the number of bottles to three or four and allow tourists to carry home even more if it is profitable for the state.

Goa has over 6,000 liquor vendors, and the availability of cheap alcohol is one of the reasons that draws people to the state, boosting tourism.

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Source: Money Control News