Maha: Excise Dept urges hotel & restaurant associations not to observe strike

Mumbai, July 12 (IANS) The state Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh on Saturday appealed to the Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) president Sudhakar Shetty not to observe a shutdown on July 14, as announced earlier.

He has suggested resolving their issues through legal means instead of a day-long strike.

AHAR, in its release, said that in a coordinated collective stand, over 20,000 bars and permit rooms across Maharashtra will shut operations on July 14 as part of a statewide bandh in protest against the Maharashtra government's “relentless and unjust” tax hikes on the hospitality sector. These tax hikes are pushing the Rs 1.5 lakh crore industry to the edge of collapse.

AHAR is protesting against VAT on liquor hiked from 5 per cent to 10 per cent, a 15 per cent increase in annual license fees and a 60 per cent spike in excise duty in a span of one year. The bandh is a reaction to what AHAR calls a “triple tax tsunami” that has struck the industry in less than a year.

“The entire hospitality sector in Maharashtra is bleeding. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. On July 14, every bar and permit room in the state will be shut in protest. Entire Maharashtra bars are shut against the state government's draconian taxation,” said Sudhakar Shetty, President, AHAR.

Adding that members across Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati, Konkan and the rest of Maharashtra have confirmed full participation. These hikes, clubbed with ongoing post-COVID recovery challenges, have rendered the business model unviable for thousands of establishments.

AHAR warns that this will not only wipe out thousands of small and mid-sized businesses but also lead to mass unemployment and a black market surge in liquor smuggling from neighbouring states.

“This is not just an economic blow; it is a death blow to an industry that contributes significantly to employment and state taxes,” said Shetty.

“These draconian hikes are the final nail in the coffin. From excise renewal fees to VAT and excise duty, our survival is at stake. If the government does not roll back these hikes, we fear mass closures and irreversible damage to Maharashtra’s hospitality landscape.”

These huge hikes in various taxes are likely to encourage more corrupt practices, resulting in a sharp revenue loss to the government as well. The 20,000-strong permit rooms and bars industry directly and indirectly employs over 20 lakh jobs, and supports a wider ecosystem of 48,000 vendors. The industry also plays a vital role in Maharashtra’s tourism-driven economy, especially in cities like Mumbai and Pune, said AHAR in a release.

AHAR has raised serious concerns over the timing of these hikes, especially when the Central Government, with World Bank collaboration, is working to position Mumbai as India’s leading tourist destination. “Instead of incentivising growth, the state government seems determined to shut us down,” said Shetty.

AHAR has urged policymakers to engage with the industry urgently before the damage becomes irreparable.

“We have shown restraint, we have waited, and we have appealed. Now, we are forced to make ourselves heard through this bandh,” said Shetty.

National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India), HRAWI, and all affiliated as well as non-affiliated associations of hotels and restaurants in Maharashtra have extended their support to the July 14 Bandh.

--IANS

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