Excise Dept. suspends soft liquor permits to tourism industry pending Court case

The Excise Department has directed to immediately suspend issuing soft liquor licenses (beer, wine, etc.) to establishments registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

The directive, issued by the Commissioner General of Excise, complies with the order issued by the Court in case number 37172023, presently pending in the Court of Appeal.

By the court’s injunctions, the Commissioner General of Excise has outlined the following measures: 1) immediate suspension of all previously issued soft liquor permits, 2) halting the processing of applications for soft liquor permits henceforth and 3) postponing the effective date of Liquor Tax Notice No. 05/2022 about soft liquor permits.

These measures are expected to remain in force till the final judgement is reached in the ongoing case, in line with the directives of the Court of Appeal.

The case is scheduled to be taken up on 13 November, where further deliberations are expected to shed light on the future of soft alcohol permits within Sri Lanka’s tourism sector. 

This development has raised questions about the potential impacts on the tourism and leisure industry and the measures that may be implemented in response.