• Only to recognised parties with investment & import capacity  

The Excise Department is to streamline the current liquor licence issuing system in order to meet the revenue expected from the Budget for 2024.

Speaking to the media yesterday (15), the Commissioner of Excise (Law Enforcement) and the Departmental media spokesperson Kapila Kumarasinghe said that steps will be taken to issue liquor manufacturing licences only for recognised parties who are with good investing and importing capabilities. 

He also said that the Department would change the opening hours in a way which is suitable for the current economy. He noted that the Department believes that those hours should be changed, taking it as a timely requirement.

Earlier, the Department said that the unsystematic procedure of license issuing would be addressed by these expected amendments, and that it would also include provisions that monitor the number of liquor licenses issued in particular areas in order to minimise the inconvenience caused to people in some areas.

According to the Department, those amendments would focus on introducing new codes of procedures in issuing liquor licences for hotels and restaurants authorised by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, since current legal barriers have caused delays in issuing these. He said that such moves are being taken in order to remove external barriers that hamper tourism development in the country.

Presenting the Budget for 2024, the President and Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Ranil Wickremesinghe proposed a tax administration system for the Department, encompassing the implementation of an online licencing system for a more consumer-friendly and efficient regulatory environment, the evaluation of the safety features and the introduction of a new excise permit system.

Those policy proposals for the Department in the Budget include the establishment of Sri Lanka Standardisation for maintaining the liquor quality, adjusting the licence fees based on the current demand, promoting investment in new alcohol products for foreign markets, permitting the sale of selected locally produced liquor in duty free shops and implementing the Revenue Administration System for the Department by October, 2024.