Karnataka debuts India's first alcohol-content based excise duty; local distillers cry foul
New Karnataka alcobev policy deregulates price fixation and compresses IML duty into eight slabs based on alcohol content. Beer gets cheaper, but the Karnataka Brewers & Distillers Association warns the regime tilts the field toward premium multinationals like Diageo at the expense of cheaper local labels.
Karnataka rolls out India's first alcohol-in-beverage based excise duty, deregulating price fixation and cutting IML slabs to eight. Beer becomes cheaper, but local distillers protest, fearing the regime favours multinational premium brands over cheaper local ones.