Karnataka pitches content-based liquor tax, threatening to reset India's beer-vs-spirits pricing math
An excise reform committee in Karnataka wants alcohol taxed by ABV rather than category, a shift that could compress the gap between 40% spirits and 5-8% beer. With states starved for revenue and only 1% of women and 20% of men drinking, peers are expected to follow, reshaping shelf economics for brands like Greater Than and Blue Riband.
Karnataka's excise reform committee proposes taxing alcohol by content rather than category, potentially reshaping liquor pricing across Indian states. Reform could boost state revenue and rationalize beer-vs-spirits duties, with other states likely to follow Karnataka's lead.