Andhra Pradesh government is mulling to increase the prices of liquor procurement from manufacturers. There is a demand for the hike up to 30% by the manufacturers, but AP government is likely to increase the price in the range of 15 to 25 per cent.
The state cabinet is likely to clear the file in the next cabinet meeting on Saturday. The demand is on from the last three years but the then governments ignored it as the prices in the state are already on the higher side compared to the neighboring states.
AP had earned about Rs 12,000 revenue during the last financial year through sale of liquor and VAT. With this price hike, the VAT will also increase accordingly. 15% hike will mean that the VAT collections from liquor sale, which are at present Rs 8,180 crore, are set to touch Rs 10,000 crore.
