Say cheers! Telangana to rake in Rs. 1,357 cr from liquor licence applications

Hyderabad: The state excise department is expected to rake in Rs. 1,357 crore from 67,841 applications it received for liquor shop licences for 2021-23.

The deadline for submitting applications for licences expired on Wednesday.

The competition for licences to open liquor shops in Telangana is intense with about 67,841 applications submitted for 2,620 new liquor shops.

The highest number of applications came from the districts neighboring the Andhra Pradesh border. For a single shop in Madhira town of Khammam district, the highest 121 applications were received.

The draw of lots to select the licensees will be held on November 20 and the first installment of retail shop excise tax (RSET) should be paid between 20 and 22 November, as per the notification issued by the Excise department.

For the licence period 2019-21, there were 48,784 applications for 2,216 outlets. Now, the number of outlets has been increased to 2,620 across the state. During 2019-21, the department had generated revenue of Rs. 968 crore.

The department had reserved over 756 outlets for SCs, STs, and Goud communities and the remaining 1,864 outlets will be allotted through open competition.

After the collection of the first installment of RSET, stocks to new liquor outlets (A4 shops) would be released on 29 November and the new shops will start functioning from 1 December. The licence period of the new shops will be from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2023.

Tax for setting up shops in areas with a population of more than 5,000 and up to 50,000 will be Rs. 55 lakh and Rs. 50 lakh a year for areas with a population of up to 5,000.

New applications were called under the new liquor policy on 9 November. The process to allot liquor shops will begin at 11 am on November 20 at the Maharana Pratap Function Palace in Amberpet.