Protective sticker on locally produced liquor mandatory from next year

The Excise Department says it would introduce a new protective sticker to be mandatorily displayed on locally-manufactured liquor bottles and cans.

The decision was taken to prevent the sale of illicit liquor in the local market and smuggling of foreign liquor bottles into the country, and to collect all due taxes payable to the Treasury through the sale of local and foreign liquor.

A grace period of three months has been given to clear the existing stocks of liquor bottles and cans sold in the market without the protective sticker, the Excise Department’s Spokesperson Kapila Kumarasinghe said.

It is expected that this protective sticker would be displayed on all liquor bottles and cans sold island-wide by April 01, 2022, he added.

This mandatory protective sticker was implemented on all imported liquor nearly a year ago.