CHENNAI: Tasmac consumers will have to pay an additional Rs 10 per liquor bottle as Environmental and Social Welfare Cess from November 1, and the practice of collecting Rs 10 separately under the bottle buy-back scheme will be discontinued.
Announced by the state in September, the cess will be used for environmental protection and social welfare activities, including the safe disposal and recycling of liquor bottles.
Prohibition and Excise Minister K Vignesh on Friday said the new system was aimed at ensuring transparency in the collection and accounting of money and should not be seen as a price hike.
Earlier, consumers had to pay Rs 10 in addition to the MRP, and it would be refunded when they returned the empty bottle. The minister said the practice was improper as the money was collected separately without being accounted for in government records.
“Whether it is revenue or expenditure, all transactions should go through the government. Money should not go into the hands of individuals. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the Rs 10 cess. If a liquor bottle costs Rs 150 (Rs 140 + Rs 10), the entire amount will be accounted for in government records. When consumers return the empty bottle, Rs 10 will be refunded,” he said.
Vignesh said the previous DMK government had claimed that 99% of empty liquor bottles were returned under the buy-back scheme. A pilot study, however, conducted at three Tasmac outlets found that only 55% to 65% of bottles were returned.
“The Rs 10 collection amounts to around Rs 300 crore a month and Rs 3,600 crore a year. When nearly 40% of the bottles are not returned, it is unclear where the corresponding amount, estimated at Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,600 crore annually, has gone. This money should reach the government. That is why we have introduced the new system,” he said.
The department is also planning to allow consumers to return the bottles at any Tasmac outlet, irrespective of the place of purchase, and claim the Rs 10 refund.
The corporation has also sanctioned daily handling charges for shops for counting, storing and handing over of empty bottles until automated reverse vending machines are installed at all outlets.
Outlets in Chennai corporation limits will receive Rs 1,000 a day if average sale is up to 2,000 bottles and Rs 2,000 if sales exceed that number. In other local bodies, the charges will range from Rs 750 to Rs 1,800, depending on the location and sales.