The Rundown: What You Need to Know in One Shot
Booze Hounds, Buckle Up: Karnataka’s Liquor Policy Is About to Screw You Over
Listen up, you glorious bastards who live for the clink of bottles and the buzz of a good night—Karnataka’s 2025 Budget just dropped, and it’s a goddamn gut punch to your wallet and your vibe. I’m not here to coddle you with flowery bullshit; I’m here to rip the Band-Aid off and pour whiskey on the wound. This is real talk from someone who knows the bar scene like the back of their hand—and trust me, I’ve seen some shit. The state’s liquor policy is a rollercoaster of greed, injustice, and half-assed promises, and if you’re not pissed off by the end of this, you’re not paying attention.
Now, let’s get into the meat of this shitshow.
Cheap Booze? Kiss It Goodbye, You Glorious Degenerates
You know that sweet Rs 65 per 180ml (quarter AKA Qwatar) Indian Made Liquor (IML) you clutch like a lifeline at 2 a.m.? Yeah, that’s about to cost you Rs 10-15 more starting April 1. Why? Because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his cronies need to squeeze an extra Rs 3,500 crore out of your hungover ass to hit their Rs 40,000 crore excise target for 2025-26. The Additional Excise Duty (AED) is getting a hike in the first four slabs—where 80% of the state’s liquor cash comes from. Translation: the cheap stuff you love is their golden goose, and they’re wringing its neck.
Meanwhile, they’re “rationalizing” premium liquor prices to match neighboring states. Great for the rich assholes sipping single malt, but for the rest of us pounding the dive-bar specials? It’s a middle finger wrapped in a tax bill. And don’t even get me started on beer—summer’s here already, IPL’s around the corner, and those $%$#*@ jacked up prices Rs 10-45 per 650ml back in January.
Peak season, my ass—more like peak greed.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But the Government Sure as Hell Does
Here’s the brutal truth: they’re full of (you know what). They revised the 2024-25 excise target down to Rs 36,500 crore from Rs 38,525 crore because—surprise—they’ve only scraped together Rs 33,000 crore as of March 7, 2025. With three weeks left, they’re dreaming if they think they’ll hit even the lower number. And yet, they’ve got the balls to set a Rs 40,000 crore goal for next year? Either they’re delusional or they’re banking on you drinking yourself into a coma to fund their screw-ups.
Oh, and Opposition Leader R Ashoka’s not wrong—calling this “Kuduka Bhagya” (alcoholic welfare) is savage and spot-on.
While the state drowns in Rs 7.81 lakh crore of debt, they’re out here pushing new bars and auctions like it’s a frat party fundraiser. Where’s the justice in taxing the hell out of the working stiffs who just want a damn drink?
Auctioning Licenses? More Like Auctioning Your Soul
They’re dusting off 200 CL-2 retail licenses and 263 MSIL outlets that’ve been rotting away, slapping them on the e-auction block to “mobilize resources.” Sounds noble, right? Bullshit. It’s a cash grab dressed up as reform, and the process is so tangled in red tape it’ll take forever to pan out. Industry folks like Chethan Hegde from ‘1522’ are cautiously cheering, but let’s be real—transparent auctions in Karnataka? I’ll believe it when I see it. Until then, it’s just another shiny promise to keep us distracted while they raid our pockets.
Beer Lovers, You’re Screwed—and Not in the Fun Way
Beer’s already taken a beating, and it’s only March. That January 20 hike—excise duty jumping from 185% to 195%—means your Rs 100 bottle’s now Rs 145, and the Rs 230 one’s creeping to Rs 240. Vendors are screaming about a 10% sales drop, breweries are choking, and the market’s drier than a Monday morning hangover. Karunakar Hegde from the Wine Merchants’ Association called it: no stock, no sales, no mercy.
Summer and IPL should be a booze-soaked paradise, not a financial nightmare. Who’s standing up for us party warriors? Not these clowns.
Digital Dreams and Empty Glasses
Siddaramaiah’s crowing about new software and online processes for the excise department like it’s some revolutionary stuff. “Efficiency in administration,” he says. Sure, mate, and I’m the Pope.
Mukesh Tolani from ‘Toit’ and Tushar Fernandes from ‘Olive Bar’ are hyped about digitization easing business headaches—fair enough, it’s been a long time coming. But let’s not kid ourselves: this isn’t about helping us; it’s about streamlining their money machine. Efficiency won’t undo the injustice of taxing the hell out of your buzz.
The Bottom Line: Justice for the Drunks!
Look, I’m not here to sob into my pint—I’m here to call it like I see it. Karnataka’s liquor policy is a masterclass in screwing over the little guy while the suits sip their overpriced scotch. Raising prices on cheap IML and beer isn’t “resource mobilization”; it’s a tax on your soul, your escape, your Friday night.
Auctioning licenses might sound sexy, but it’s a Band-Aid on a broken system. And don’t even try to sell me that “rationalization” crap—justice doesn’t mean making the rich comfy while the rest of us scramble.
So, what’s the play, booze hounds? Raise hell. Call out this garbage. Demand a state that doesn’t treat your love for a cold one like a piggy bank to smash. Because if we don’t, they’ll keep pouring salt in the wound—and charging us extra for the privilege.
Dream of bottoms up days!
