Chennai: TASMAC has told the Madras High Court that a proposal to collect an additional Rs 10 as a “cess” on liquor is under consideration by the Tamil Nadu government, along with related legal amendments.
The submission came during a hearing before a special bench comprising Justices N. Sathish Kumar and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy. Advocate General Vijay Narayan and counsel for TASMAC appeared and filed a report by TASMAC Managing Director Nandakumar.
TASMAC said it has decided to restructure the existing empty-bottle return scheme. Instead of collecting Rs 10 separately per bottle and refunding it when customers return empty bottles, the amount is planned to be merged into the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of liquor.
After approval to revise the MRP, TASMAC said responsibilities such as collecting empty bottles and ensuring recycling would be handed over to the respective liquor manufacturing companies. The report added that the Commercial Taxes Commissioner has sent a recommendation to the government to impose the Rs 10 cess, and the government is examining amendments to the rules.
The court accepted the submission and adjourned the matter for six weeks, directing that a further status report be filed on the next steps.
