Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited or TASMAC, has hiked liquor prices in the state, beginning Friday. According to the latest increase, beer would cost Rs 10 more than its current price. This hike comes five years after the price of beer was last hiked by the state government.
Indian Made Foreign Spirits or IMFS would now cost Rs 10 more than the existing price per quarter, 180 ml. The hike in price of IMFS comes over two years after it was last hiked in October 2017.
It is expected that this price hike will result in a surplus of Rs 2,000 crore for the state government.
The average price of beer ranges from Rs 55 to Rs 65 for a 325 ml bottle while the 650 ml bottle costs between Rs 90 to Rs 140. A 180 ml bottle of IMFS that includes brandy, rum, whiskey, vodka and more costs between Rs 100 and Rs 390, depending on the brand.
During the Pongal weekend, state-owned liquor stores across Tamil Nadu reported a whopping Rs 610 crore in sales.
For long, tipplers in the state have also been complaining of outlets charging above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). Following multiple complaints, authorities launched a crackdown on outlets in November last year. About 4,000 cases of violations were found after officials carried out inspections in shops across the state. While 811 cases of MRP violations were registered in Chennai, Madurai topped the violations with 1,042 cases in the state.
