VIJAYAWADA: In another step towards imposing phase-wise total prohibition of liquor, the State government on Saturday ordered for the number of wine shops operated by the AP State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL) to be reduced by another 13 per cent.
The Jagan Mohan Reddy government had already reduced the number of wine shops by 20 per cent, and with this order, the number of APSBCL-operated wine shops will come down by 33 per cent (from 4,380 to 2,934). The APSBCL will notify the shops that are to be closed by the end of this month, the government order (GO) said.
In December, 2009, the government brought down the number of liquor stores from 4,380 to 3,500. When the lockdown restrictions were eased and wine shops in non-containment areas were allowed to open, the government hiked the Additional Retail Excise Tax (ARET) by 75 per cent to discourage people from drinking.
‘Reduction in revenue unlikely’
Officials said the reduction in the number of liquor shops and hike in prices is not expected to hamper the govt’s revenues. The govt generated `17,000 crore in the 2019-20 fiscal year through the sale of liquor.