Karnataka to hike liquor prices again

In yet another move likely to impact alcobev consumers, the Karnataka government has proposed a fresh hike in liquor prices, days after raising taxes on other commodities. The proposal targets economical and mid-range liquor categories, while prices of premium labels will remain unchanged.

The official notification, issued by the state excise department on Tuesday evening, proposes a price hike of Rs 10–15 per quarter bottle for economical category liquors such as brandy, whisky, gin, and rum. Beer, meanwhile, is proposed to see a 10 percent price hike across all segments.

The hike had been announced earlier by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the state budget, and now enters the public consultation phase, with citizens given seven days to file objections.