• New liquor licences to be awarded based on population and tourist arrivals

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

The government has no plans to transfer 55 liquor licences from Sathosa outlets to companies owned by Arjun Aloysius, but the new licences will be awarded only on the basis of factors such as the population of the country and the arrival of tourists, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. 

He made this comment to a question by a journalist at an event held in Karawanella yesterday. Minister Siyambalapitiya denied that the government intends to transfer 55 out of 100 liquor licences belonging to Sathosa outlets to companies owned by Arjun Aloysius.   

Minister Siyambalapitiya said no other government had collected taxes from liquor companies that had such an impact and also levied them so systematically. He said that no request has been made to give the liquor licences belonging to Sathosa and that even if such requests are made, it is not possible to transfer the liquor licences to another person.  

He said the price of alcohol has increased by 108% due to taxes in 2003 alone, and accordingly, the government will not increase the legal consumption of alcohol at any time.  

The Minister also mentioned that the annual fee charged for all liquor licences has been increased by tenfold, and accordingly, the government is working to reduce the growth of illegal alcohol.