The Bengal excise department has introduced a special purpose fee on foreign liquor bottled in India as well as imported foreign liquor, which manufacturers anticipate could have an inflationary impact.

Whisky, brandy, liqueur, cordial, bitters, vodka, gin and similar potable alcohol will draw a special purpose fee ranging between Rs 5 and Rs 400 for various declared price slabs of manufacturers.

In a notification amending West Bengal Excise (Foreign Liquor) Rules,1998, the Bengal excise department has introduced the special purpose fee which is payable per bottle of foreign liquor either bottled in India or imported into the country with a stated objective “to promote responsible drinking’’.

As a result of the amendment, MRP of liquor in Bengal will now be determined on the basis of declared price, excise duty, additional excise duty, registration fee for production, distributor margin, wholesaler margin, retailer margin and the special purpose fee along with any rounded off value.

Declared price has been defined as the price at which the manufacturer or the importer intends to supply the case of foreign liquor to the distributor.

At the same time the rules have been amended to lower the annual registration fee for manufacturers.

Sources said while on one hand, some statutory fees have been lowered, the government has added a fee that may restrict consumption volumes, which has already taken a hit because of excise duty changes that raised liquor prices in the state.