One would need to shell out more money for drinking at hotels, restaurants, bar and pubs in Chandigarh. According to the report, boozers will have to pay more for the same brands from April 1 onward. The change will come in force under the new Liquor Policy for 2018-19. The policy was released on March 20 and will be implemented from the beginning of next month.
This is the reason behind the price hike
Increase in the annual fee is the key reason that will lead to hiked prices of liquor at pubs, restaurants, bars and hotels in Chandigarh. The yearly license fee of bars has been increased from to Rs 7.50 lakh from the existing Rs 6 lakh. In addition to the license fee, the assessment fee and excise duty too has been increased from Rs 30 per bulk litre to Rs 33 per bulk litre, and from Rs 20 to 28 per bulk litre respectively.
The Chandigarh excise and taxation department will implement these revised prices from April 1, 2018. Well, if you are one of the regular visitors at restaurants, hotels serving liquor in Chandigarh your expenses are soon going to put a hole in your pocket. The Chandigarh excise and taxation department has increased the annual license fee by 25 per cent while it has increased the assessment fee and excise duty by 10 per cent for the hotels, lounges and restaurants in Chandigarh. It is worth mentioning here that there are roughly 125 pubs and bars in Chandigarh
This is the expected price list
Liquor prices may vary from place to place as each outlet has a different price on the menu for the same liquor brand but the hike (in percentage) is expected to remain same in all the outlets.
For example, a 330ml beer bottle (pint), which currently costs approximately Rs 170 at restaurants and hotels, will now cost around Rs 210. In addition to the above mentioned fee hike, the Chandigarh Administration has also hiked prices of liquor that are sold at liquor vends. As per the report, prices of countrymade liquor as well as Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) have been increased by 15 per cent. The only respite to boozers is that there is no change in the rates of beer and wine. To retain the clientele, it is expected that the only a part of the fee hike will be passed on to the customers while the owners will bear rest of the financial burden.