Excise Chief suspends soft alcohol licenses issued by SLTDA

By Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana   

All soft alcohol licenses issued by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board to over 500 board approved boutique hotels and restaurants have been suspended by the Excise Chief with immediate effect.  

The Excise Department announced yesterday that soft liquor licenses issued to restaurants, hotels and tourist lodges, which were registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), had been suspended.   
The Excise Commissioner General had stated reasons for this action as a stay order issued by the Appeal Court over a case (371/2023) being heard at present.   

Excise Department Spokesperson Commissioner Kapila Kumarasinghe told the Daily Mirror that two petitions had been filed at the Appeal Court by a collective of soft alcohol retail sellers against these tourist board approved guesthouses and restaurants for selling the same, thus causing them loss of revenue.   

Therefore, the Excise Department will suspend all future issuance of such license and will not entertain such applications until further judgment of the Court of Appellate. The case will be next heard on November 13, 2023.