Mumbai: Owners of around 20,000 bars in the state, including 8,000 from Mumbai region, under the banner of AHAR (Association of hotels and restaurants) have threatened to go on strike if the recent rise in taxes — license fees (10-15%), Value Added Tax (10%) and the Excise (60%) — are not withdrawn. “In less than a year’s time span, the industry has faced back-to-back financial shocks. VAT on liquor has been increased from 5% to 10%. This was followed by a 15% hike in license fees for the financial year 2025–26. Now, the state has hiked excise duty by 60%. Together, these triple hard blows make the business unsustainable in light of the fact that the industry is still reeling from the economic aftershocks of the pandemic,” said AHAR president Sudhakar Shetty.Terming it as nothing short of a “tsunami of unjust levies,” Shetty warned that the recent policy decisions are pushing the industry to collapse. — Chittaranjan TembhekarMumbai: Owners of around 20,000 bars in the state, including 8,000 from Mumbai region, under the banner of AHAR (Association of hotels and restaurants) have threatened to go on strike if the recent rise in taxes — license fees (10-15%), Value Added Tax (10%) and the Excise (60%) — are not withdrawn. “In less than a year’s time span, the industry has faced back-to-back financial shocks. VAT on liquor has been increased from 5% to 10%. This was followed by a 15% hike in license fees for the financial year 2025–26. Now, the state has hiked excise duty by 60%. Together, these triple hard blows make the business unsustainable in light of the fact that the industry is still reeling from the economic aftershocks of the pandemic,” said AHAR president Sudhakar Shetty.Terming it as nothing short of a “tsunami of unjust levies,” Shetty warned that the recent policy decisions are pushing the industry to collapse. — Chittaranjan Tembhekar
