Only spirits soar in Pondy now, not the prices

PUDUCHERRY: Consumers irked by the varying prices of liquor in the Union Territory can now rest easy, as the government has now made it mandatory for manufacturers of alcoholic beverages and spirituous liquor to print the maximum retail price (MRP) on the bottle and the packaging of the product.The UT government on Saturday issued a circular, which effectively stops retailers from quoting arbitrary rates for liquor bottles.The implementation of the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and Legal Metrology Rules, 2001, with effect from April 1, 2011, replacing the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1977, has brought about the change. Till now, there has been no concept of MRP, as its declaration (pri­nting) on the package contai­ning alcoholic beverages or spirituous liquors was exempt under the Standards of Weights and Measures Act. Retailers, therefore, sold the products at prices that suited them.Now, all retailers will have to adhere to the printed MRP from September 1, the deadline by which they must comply with the regulations.The controller of Legal Metrology has also warned that any deviation in this regard will entail prescribed action under the Act.However, the move will not bring the government any additional revenue, says the excise department, as sales tax has not been levied on liquor in Puducherry since April 23, 2007, instead of which an additional excise duty of 35 per cent is levied at the point of production, before the liquor is moved out of the distillery for sale.