Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government announced a new liquor policy. As per the new policy, private retailers will be allowed to sell liquor in the state. The state government is aiming to get Rs 5,500 crore revenue from this.
The Andhra Pradesh government has decided retail of liquor to be privatised with 3,736 retail shops notified across the state. The new policy will take effect from October 12, 2024.
The permission to sell IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor) and and FL (foreign liquor) will be granted to private persons or entities through a selection process. The period of licence for selling IMFL and FL by shops shall be from October 12, 2024 to September 30, 2026.
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Out of the total number of shops to be licensed in 2024-26, as many as 3,396 will be in the open category, while 340 shops will be reserved for allocation to ‘Geetha Kulalu’ (a toddy tapping community) with a view to empower them and promote equity and social justice.
The selection process for granting licence will be through a draw of lots and an applicant can apply for more than one shop. There shall be no restriction on the number of shop licences a person can hold. Applicants will have to deposit a non-refundable fee of Rs 2 lakh for each shop.
The retail excise tax (RET) ranges from Rs 50 lakh for locality with population of 10,000 to Rs 85 lakh per annum for a municipality or municipal corporation having population above 5 lakh during the fiscal 2024-2025. It will be increased by 10 per cent for 2025-26. The RET per annum shall be paid in six equal advance instalments as applicable for each year during the licence period 2024-26.
The retailer margin will be 20 per cent on issue price across all categories of IMFL and FL, including beer, wine and RTDs (ready to drink).
The government also allowed a total of 12 Premium Store Licenses as a separate category. These premium stores shall be strategically located across major municipal corporation cities namely Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada, Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur or any other city as notified by the state government from time to time.
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