the goan I network
MARGAO
Asserting that the government’s proposal to effect a hike in excise license fees and price of liquor will only mean a 300 percent extra cost for the end-user, the All Goa Bar and Restaurant Owners Association has said the proposals, if implemented, will only force them to shut down their businesses.
After a meeting of the core committee of the association held in the city here on Monday, a delegation of the Association led by President Michael Carrasco will call on the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Excise Commissioner and impress upon the duo that the proposed hike in license fees, as well as price of liquor, will not only deny revenue to the government but will spell doom for the bars and restaurants.
Addressing the media after discussing the contentious issue of the government’s proposal to increase the license fees and prices of liquor amounting to 30 per cent, Carrasco said the end-user will have to pay a whopping 300 percent more. “If the government’s proposal is implemented from April 1, a peg of Chivas Regal would cost Rs 600 from the current price of Rs 400.”
He said that grave injustice has been meted out to the bars and restaurant owners by the decision to charge the license fees based on the area of service. “This is the first time that the government has decided to tax based on the area of the premise. This will adversely affect business in the restaurants,” he added.
Carrasco said the bar and restaurant owners have to obtain as many as 15 NOCs and licenses to run their businesses, while hundreds of illegal outlets make roaring business without paying any fees to the government.
To a question, the bar and restaurant owners demanded to know why a tourist from Delhi would come down to consume liquor in Goa when national capital offers it at the same price. The owners maintained that the government proposal would not only spell doom for the bars and restaurant owners, but the tourism industry as a whole.
“We have decided to discuss the issue with the Chief Minister and the Excise Commissioner and place before the government how the proposal will affect the government revenue as well as the business of the bars and restaurants,” Carrasco said.
