Liquor, high-end bikes to cost more from today

 Liquor will cost more in the next few days with the increase in various slabs of additional excise duty coming into effect from April 1. 

Prices of heavy duty bikes will also go north with the government increasing the existing slab of 12% motor vehicle tax to 18% on motorbikes costing more than Rs 1 lakh.

With Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not touching Value Added Tax, entry tax, entertainment and luxury tax in his budget proposals for 2017-18, prices of commodities, cinema tickets, horse racing and hotel rooms will, however, remain unchanged at least for the next four months.

Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, has not tinkered much with commercial taxes in anticipation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime which is likely to come into effect from July 1.

However, liquor will cost more by 10% to 12% depending on the brand in the next few days.  According to Excise department officials, the new excise duty levied will be imposed on fresh stocks from April 1 and a rate chart on the new maximum retail price (MRP) of popular brands of liquor will be released soon. 

For instance, a half bottle (375 ml) of McDowell’s whiskey, a popular brand in the state which now costs Rs 275 is likely to cost Rs 300, the officials said.

VAT on liquor, beer and wine, which attracted a 5.5% VAT when consumed along with food in bars and restaurants has been done away from April 1.  So, bar bills should cost less from Saturday but will be more or less compensated by the increase in additional excise duty on liquor.

The price of a brand new Enfield bike is pegged at Rs 1.23 lakh. With the revision in motor vehicles tax, consumers will have to pay an additional Rs 22,000 as a lifetime tax from April. A brand new Dukes super bike priced over Rs 1.5 lakh will attract a tax of around Rs 30,000.

Siddaramaiah had also proposed uniform admission fee policy in all cinema theatres including multiplexes in the state by prescribing Rs 200 as maximum admission fee but has not set a timeframe for its implementation.

BPL card beneficiaries will get seven kg of rice per person instead of five kg per person under the Anna Bhagya scheme from April 1.