Alcohol And Cigarettes Go Up In Price

By Raisa Wickrematunge

Local alcohol prices may only rise by Rs. 10 to 15, and not Rs. 50 as previously reported, the Excise Department said. The decision to increase alcohol prices had been made by local alcohol manufacturers, not by the government, an official from the Department said on conditions of anonymity. The final price hike will probably be decided by manufacturers, he added.
The official added the price increase would not be as steep as Rs. 50. He added that the prices of foreign liquor would most likely rise as well, but was unsure what the scale of the price hike would be. On Friday morning, it was announced that the price of a bottle of arrack would increase by Rs. 50. A litre of beer was forecast to increase by Rs. 5, while cigarettes would increase by one rupee. The Excise Department official said the cigarette price increase came under the purview of the Finance Ministry.