Meghalaya: Cabinet Gives Nod To Hike Tax On Liquor

Shillong: In a bid to generate more revenue for the state, the Meghalaya government has decided to hike the tax on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from 1 to 9 percent.

"The cabinet has approved the re-categorization of IMFL brands existing in the state. In order to change the prices in neighboring states and generate more revenue, we have decided to declassify individual brands and increase the prices of some of them," said Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Wednesday after the cabinet meeting.

He also said that due to the change in the prices and categories of liquor, the state government is expected to get additional revenue of up to Rs 25 crore annually.

Among the major decision, the cabinet also approved the request of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) for a waiver of an upfront fee of Rs 1 lakh per MW in lieu of allocation of 50 MW Wah Umiam Stage-I and 100 MW Wah Umiam Stage-II hydroelectric projects in Umiew River basin in the state.

The cabinet also gave the nod to a proposal of the Personnel Department which allows the Chief Secretary to be the appointing authority for the posts of Superintendent, Under Secretary, and Deputy Secretary in the Secretariat.

"It is a minor amendment and earlier the post of Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Joint Secretary used to be appointed by the Governor. However, these posts are not senior posts, so we have changed the appointing authority to the Chief Secretary," Sangma added.

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