Rajasthan: State Government Tells Bars To Increase Alcohol Sales Or Face Fines

Bars in Rajasthan are facing a very different sort of crackdown by the state government, having been told by officials that they need to increase their alcohol sales or risk getting fined, reports The Times of India.

The move is aimed at realising greater revenues Already, the Rajasthan government has hiked the retail prices of liquor and has increased the license fees for bars and VAT on bottles of alcohol.

In recent days, 300 hotel bars have been served notices telling them that if they don’t increase their sales by at least 10 per cent compared to the previous year, they will be fined.

“The authorities concerned want us to increase sales by 10%. Many hotels face competition due to the increase in the number of bars and lounges and failed to register a 10% growth in sales. Now these hotels have been issued notices to pay penalty for not selling more alcohol than last year,” said the secretary of Hotel Bar Owners Welfare Association, Dilip Tiwari.

He added that bars were already facing slowing sales due to the VAT hike which the government had imposed.