The government is set to increase its efforts in conducting raids on liquor factories across the country that are using counterfeit security stickers.
This decision comes after authorities confiscated 100,000 bottles with fake stickers in just one week.
Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, the State Minister of Finance, expressed concern over the decline in excise revenue caused by local licensed liquor manufacturers using these counterfeit stickers.
Siyambalapitiya stated that recent raids against fake stickers have been successful, with fewer bottles seized compared to the previous week.
Perpetrators found guilty of using these stickers will face fines of up to Rs.500,000 in each case, and the lost excise revenue will also be charged to them.
Besides, if these individuals repeatedly violate the law, their licenses will be revoked. The introduction of the security sticker mechanism had initially led to an 11% increase in overall excise production in the country, resulting in a 20% rise in excise revenue for the government.
However, the presence of fake security stickers in the industry has caused these figures to decline significantly.
