MRP must on liquor bottles in Daman

SURAT: Good news for tourists visiting the Union territory of Daman and Diu. Premium liquor brands will not pinch your pockets any more, but instead add zing to your stay. How??
Thanks to the UT’s administration, all Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) retail outlets have been ordered to print maximum retail price (MRP) of the labels of different brands of liquor and beer. The new mandatory rule has been made to check revenue leakages as well as to stop overcharging customers.
Earlier, no such rule existed in the Union territory on sale of liquor and beer. Retailers would fleece tourists by selling bottles as per syndicate pricing and inflated rates.
The notification issued in this regard under the Goa, Daman and Diu Excise Duty Rules, 1964, fixed the wholesale and retail profit margin at 7% and 15%, respectively, on the landed cost of the liquor and beer case. Official sources said that decision to have the MRP printed on labels was taken in view of the complaints on price disparity at the retail outlets. Now, with the MRP rule in place, violators will be liable for action which may lead to cancellation of license if the customers prefer to lodge complaints.
A senior excise superintendent in Daman and Diu, LM Waghela, said, “Daman and Diu were the only territory where liquor and beer were being sold sans MRP. Now, MRP will allow customers to know exactly what they are paying for their brand of booze. A specific brand will have the same MRP at all the retail shops, thereby reducing chances of retailers forming syndicates to inflate prices illegally.”