COVID19, KERALA AND ALCOHOL


Government of Kerala has raised the tax on alcoholic drinks from 212% to 247%. Some future calamities or financial scarcity may raise it to over 500%, may be sooner or later. Whether it is one front or the other the government is same in the case of generating the revenue is concerned; either increase the prices of alcoholic drinks or lottery tickets. The other two main sources are GST and repatriation by Keralites abroad. Both of these shall be terribly slashed this year and, therefore, that part too be got refilled mainly by alcoholic drinks. This year and the coming year may be worst in our economic front.

According to an unofficial study, about 33-50% of alcoholic drinks are consumed by Lower Middle Income Group and Low Income Group in Kerala and, therefore, the impact of price rise may fall on them. Most of them are daily earners. The money they spend on these drinks make terrific impact on the food consumption and routine expenditure of the whole family. In fact the poor become poorer by the price rise of alcoholic beverages. If the elected government do not come for the rescue of these poor people, who will come they think.

It is high time that the successive governments should look for alternative earning. In fact we have enough avenues remain unexploited or under exploited to replace the revenue from beverages and dream (lottery) selling. 1) Earning from tourism can be raised from the current 40,000 cr to 2 lakhs cr per annum with no spending by the government. 2) Over 50,000 industries can be set up across the state, again with zero funding by government. 3) Large number of micro IT units can be brought up in the service sector to feed the existing major units in Kerala and other states.
4) Huge investment can be attracted to the infrastructure front from private sector. 5) A new culture can be infused into the export field and a good number of youth can be brought into this arena.

It is not the funding that is needed from the government but the leadership and coordination.

KV George
kvgeorgein@gmail.com

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