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Guwahati, August 3 : To curb the huge smuggled of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from the neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya to Assam, the BJP led Assam is going to reduce the excise duty on liquor in the state.
Sarbananda Sonowal led state government would likely to raise the issue in the next cabinet meeting.
Assam excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya on Thursday said that, we are going to reduce the excise taxes in Assam and it will help to reduce the prices of IMFL.
"Smuggling of IMFL from neighbouring states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya are continued to Assam, where the prices are less. For it, the state government has lost huge revenue collection every year. We are looking to reduce the excise taxes comparing with the neighbouring states and it will help to check the revenue losses," Parimal Suklabaidya said.
The senior BJP leader representing Barak Valley and took charge the excise department only a year back said that, the issue has discussed in the government level following Jindal committee recommendations.
"The proposal awaits for cabinet approval and likely to raise in the next cabinet meeting," Suklabaidya said.
Meanwhile, a top source of the Assam government said that, the state government has faced around Rs 250 crore revenue losses every year causing for IMFL smuggled from the neighbouring states.
The minister said, the revenue collection of the department has gradually increased as excise revenue gone up by over Rs 150 crore in fiscal 2016-17 compared to 2015-16.
"The department had collected Rs 799.53 crore revenue while it jumped to Rs 966.33 crore in 2016-17," Parimal Suklabaidya said.
The Assam excise minister said that his target to increase the revenue collection to around Rs 1400 crore in the current fiscal.
The minister also said that, the department has taken several initiatives to reduce corruption, smooth functioning.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
