Import duty on IMFL, beer reduced to 50 paise in Goa

Panaji, Mar 31 (UNI) Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and beer will become cheaper here shortly with the Government deciding to reduce import pass fee to 50 paise per bulk litre, as aginst Rs 10 recommended in the recent Budget proposals.

In his post-Cabinet briefing, Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane told mediapersons that the reduction was expected to encourage ''competition'' between the importers and the Goan liquor manufacturers, thus benefitting the consumers.

The Budget for 2006-07 had earlier proposed to allow sale of beer and wine across counters against the payment of Rs 15,000 as annual licence fee, even as it announced reduction of excise duty on beer from Rs nine to Rs seven per bulk litre.

The Cabinet had also decided to further reduce the stamp duty on land deeds to two per cent, as against 2.5 per cent proposed in the Budget 2006-07. It was four per cent till now, Mr Rane said.

The Rs eight cess on each imported poultry bird and ten paise on egg, would, however, remain unchanged, he said.

The Cabinet had also okayed a proposal to extend the fifth Pay Revision Commission scales to all the technical teachers.

The Cabinet has further favoured enactment of a legislation shortly to confer ownership rights to unregistered tenants occupying a property for more than 12 years, on the lines of the practice in vogue in Maharashtra, he added.

The new levies proposed in the Rs 20.97 crore overall deficit budget for the new fiscal are expected to yield an additional Rs 60 crore to the exchequer, and these reductions would marginally scale down the revenue.

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