Excise Department suspends licences of five liquor manufacturing companies

By Saman Indrajith

The Excise Department on Thursday suspended the licences of five liquor manufacturing companies for not paying tax arrears.Commissioner General of Excise Department, Saman Jayasinghe said that the annual licences of those companies had expired on October 31 and they had not been renewed.The companies can no longer produce and distribute alcohol.

State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), recently ordered the Commissioner General of Excise Department to suspend the licences of liquor manufacturing companies that had not paid tax arrears amounting to Rs. 6 billion.Jayasinghe said there would not be a shortage in alcohol due to this move.