Liquor to get dearer in Karnataka as govt proposes duty hike
Bengaluru (PTI): Liquor, including beer, is set to get dearer in Karnataka as the state government on Friday proposed to hike additional excise duty in the 2023-24 budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Legislative Assembly on Friday.
Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio, proposed to increase the existing rates of the duty on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) by 20 per cent on all 18 slabs.
He also proposed to increase the duty on beer from 175 per cent to 185 per cent.
"Even after the increase in excise rates, the price of liquor in our state would be lower when compared to the neighbouring states," the Chief Minister said in the budget speech.
With these hikes and effective enforcement and regulatory measures, the revenue collection target for the Excise Department for the year 2023-24 is fixed at Rs 36,000 crore, Siddaramaiah added.
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Karnataka bypolls: Over 60 per cent voter turnout in Bagalkot, Davanagere South till 5 pm
Bengaluru (PTI): Over 60 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in both Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, where bypolls were held on Thursday.
While the turnout in Bagalkot was 65.68 per cent, it was 63.04 per cent in Davanagere South.
While the ruling Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP aims to wrest them and deliver a setback to its rival, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
The bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti (Bagalkot) and Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Davanagere South).
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
