Thiruvananthapuram, July 1 (IANS) The Kerala Assembly on Wednesday passed the Finance Bill, including the contentious revision of the tax structure for low-alcohol beverages, after a stormy debate that ended with the Opposition walking out and boycotting the voting.The Bill, incorporating the government’s official amendments, was passed by voice vote in the absence of Opposition members, who protested what they described as the government’s attempt to push through a major policy change without a…
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Thiruvananthapuram, June 27 (IANS) The CPI-M’s long-held claim that it pursued a policy of reducing liquor consumption through regulation rather than prohibition has come under renewed scrutiny, with official documents and administrative decisions from the previous LDF-led Kerala government painting a sharply different picture of its decade in power in the state. Fresh disclosures relating to the grant of bar licenses and the entry of multinational liquor giant Bacardi into Kerala’s low-alcohol …
Thiruvananthapuram, June 24 (IANS) Seeking to quell the controversy triggered by last week’s Budget proposal on low-alcohol liquor, Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Wednesday clarified in the Assembly that the state government had only fixed the tax structure for such beverages and had not yet taken a political decision to permit their sale in the state. Replying to the Budget debate, Satheesan said the issue would be discussed within the UDF before a final call is taken.If the coalition-…
Thiruvananthapuram, June 23 (IANS) Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday alleged corruption behind the proposal in the state Budget to grant tax concessions for low-alcohol liquor, triggering a sharp confrontation in the Kerala Assembly.Speaking during the discussion on the Opposition’s notice seeking an adjournment motion on the issue, Vijayan alleged that the move was aimed at facilitating undue gains for a private liquor company.The Opposition leader claimed that the tax proposal…