22 September 2023 11:32 am Views - 4258
Two companies engaged in liquor production owe a total of Rs 1.5 billion as taxes, the Ways and Means Committee revealed.
The committee has recommended the cancelation of the licenses of these two companies (Wayamba Distilleries (Pvt) and Globe Blenders) if they fail to settle the due amount by October 15 this year.
It has also been revealed that more than 90 percent of the bottles of liquor that have come under inspection by the Excise Department consist of counterfeit stickers.
The officials of the Excise Department had informed the Ways and Means Committee that 55,000 bottles out of the total of 60,533 bottles that had come under inspection, have been found to be with counterfeit stickers. Chairman the Committee Patali Champika Ranawaka has requested the Excise Department to provide a full report on the inspection carried out on counterfeit stickers.
He has also instructed the Excise Department to determine whether there are liquor-producing companies which continue to use counterfeit stickers even after being apprehended for using such stickers.
The Ways and Means Committee decided to look into the possibility of charging a deposit/bond when granting licences. (Yohan Perera)