Finance State Minister Dr.Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Parliament yesterday that Sri Lanka’s alcohol production has dropped by 19 percent in 2023, when compared to 2022.
The State Minister also pointed out that the production of 180 ml alcohol bottles, which has the highest sales, has decreased by about 15 million. In 2022, 57.7 million 750ml bottles of alcohol were produced and the number decreased to 39.5 million in 2023. In the year 2023, 36.6 million bottles have been produced for the amount of 375 ml bottles that were produced in 2022. The Minister mentioned that the quantity of 180 ml bottles produced in 2022 was 105.8 million, but in 2023, it dropped to 90.5 million.
Meanwhile, the Minister said that 214 new alcohol licences have been issued in 2023 alone and 147 of them are F.L 7, 8 and F.L 11 types issued for the tourism industry. The Minister mentioned that the total number of alcohol licences given by the Excise Department is 5,730.
The Minister stated that despite the opinion that the use of alcohol is increasing due to the establishment of legal alcohol halls, illegal alcohol is prevalent in areas where there is no legal alcohol. Therefore, he said that what should be done is to prevent them and take measures to get the lost tax revenue. The Minister, who said that the government will not promote the use of alcohol in any case, pointed out that the alcohol licence fees have also been raised. The Minister further mentioned that 75 percent of the price of a bottle of alcohol is charged as tax and most of the tax is charged on alcohol.
