Mr. M.J. Gunasiri, who was reappointed as the Commissioner General of the Excise Department, says that the February revenue of the department has increased by 38.5% compared to that of last year.
He has also said that due to increase in alcohol prices, the alcohol production in 2024 January has dropped by 657,000 litres in comparison to that in 2023 January.
However, despite the production drop, the revenue has increased by 38%. We hope for a 30% revenue increase in the month of March as well, he has added.
The Excise Commissioner General has also said that special teams will be deployed to conduct raids on illegal liquor during the upcoming festive season.
However, liquor producers claim that the industry is suffering losses due to reduced alcohol production.
Speaking to ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’, a prominent liquor producer in the country said that discussions are currently underway to stop all production activity for a week, as a mark of protest against increased taxes.
However, moderates claim that the Excise Department is capable of securing large profits if they recover unpaid Excise Duty from liquor manufacturers without increasing taxes.
The Excise Commissioner General himself had previously declared that there are 09 liquor manufacturing companies that have not paid taxes and owe the state around Rs. 7.2 billion. However, no follow up statements in this regard were made.
