Excise revenue has dropped 12.2 percent in the first two months of 2023, said the Excise Department.
It earned Rs. 25.1 billion in the last two months, as against Rs. 28.6 earned in January and February last year.
This is a result of a decrease in liquor consumption following the 20 pc excise levy increase since January 01.
Meeting a Rs. 217 billion excise revenue target for 2023 will be a problem, although excise chief Saman Jayasinghe said every attempt would be made to do so.
Meanwhile, the Excise Department and liquor manufacturers have asked the Finance Ministry to bring down the excise tax by Rs. 2,000.
