Excise Dept tells liquor contractors to clear dues

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 22

The District Excise and Taxation Office has given a time of five days to liquor contractors, who are yet to deposit pending dues of their annual licence fee. The Excise and Taxation Department had initiated a drive to seal liquor vends last evening after which contractors requested officials to give them a few more days to deposit the fee.

Sources in the department stated that the licence fee running into crores was pending against contractors. As per schedule the fee was to be deposited with the department till January 15. However, the department had to act tough as contractors failed to deposit their dues.

A few vends were sealed in a drive yesterday, which prompted contractors to plead with the department for giving more time to deposit the fee. Meanwhile, officials stated that contractors were given time till February 27.

As many as 341-liquor vends divided under 12 zones were allotted for the current financial year in Amritsar district. Each of these groups has fixed annual licence fee and special fee irrespective of the sale.

The sources stated that many contractors pleaded that due to demonetisation, the pace of recovery was slow and as such they faced difficulty in depositing the fee.

Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Amritsar I) Vishavdeep Singh Bhangu confirmed that contractors had been given an extension of a few days. He said the process of depositing the licence fee by a few contractors had already begun. Bhangu, however, stated that he was not aware of the exact amount of licence fee, which contractors had to pay.