The lovely tale of Liquor
during Lockdown and before
At every stage, addiction is driven by one of the most powerful, mysterious, and
vital forces of human existence. What drives addiction is longing —
a longing not just of brain, belly, or loins but finally of the heart.
Cornelius Platinga
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The use of alcohol in India for drinking purposes dates back to somewhere between 3000 and 2000 BC. An alcoholic beverage called Sura which was distilled from the rice was popular at that time in India for common men to unwind at the end of a stressful day. . Yet the first mention of Alcohol appears in Rig Veda (1700BC). It mentions intoxicants like soma and prahamana. Although the soma plant might not exist today, it was famous for delivering a euphoric high. It was also recorded in the Samhita, the medical compendium of Sushruta that he who drinks soma will not age and will be impervious to fire, poison, or weapon attack. The sweet juice of Soma was also said to help establish a connection with the gods. Such was the popularity of alcohol. Initially used for medicinal purposes, with time it evolved and became the beverage that brought life to social gatherings, and eventually consuming alcohol has become a habit for many.
With such a rich history of not just humans but also of the gods,
what is a worldwide pandemic to stop anybody from drinking?
. . .
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According to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2018, an average Indian drinks approximately 5.7 liters of alcohol every year. In a population of casual and excessive drinkers, with the shutters of liquor stores down, it must have been extremely difficult for “certain” people to survive lockdown. In the first two phases of lockdown, the desperation had quadrupled prices of alcohol in the Grey Market of India. Also, According to Google Trends, online searches for “how to make alcohol at home” peaked in India during the fourth week of March, which was the same when the lockdown was announced. As a consequence, a few people died drinking home-brewed liquor. People committed suicide due to alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Owing to the worsening situation and to reboot the economy, some states decided to open licensed liquor stores in the third phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdown in India. This decision was the worst best decision the state governments could take. The kilometer-long queues in front of liquor stores were evidence that a pandemic can turn your life upside down yet your relationship with alcohol cannot move an inch.
The love in the hearts of those who are addicted was explicit. We might have seen addiction, we might have witnessed desperation but what happened in the month of May was madness, not just in terms of the way people pounced but also in the way the government earned. According to a report by Hindustan Times, on the first day of the third phase of Lockdown, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh recorded a sale of over Rs 100 Crore from liquor. On the second day of the reopening of Liquor stores, Karnataka reported sales of 197 crores in a single day which was the largest ever. Eventually, the prices of Liquor were hiked to 100% to discourage people from drinking.
. . .
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There was a special corona fee that was imposed in Delhi by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A 70% corona fee was imposed in Delhi, yet the sales did not drop. The entire situation was a disaster for the law enforcement officers, social distancing was easily abandoned and a basic code of conduct was happily violated. Despite the chaos created, the states continued to collect revenues. Home delivery of alcohol was allowed in Maharashtra and e-tokens were sold in Delhi.
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Demand for liquor is inelastic which means that
the sale of alcohol is not much responsive to change in prices.
In general, since alcohol policy is a state subject in India, revenue from Liquor is a cash cow for state governments. In 2018 and 2019, four states collectively collected about 20,000 crores in taxes from the sale of liquor. As much as the state earns from the sale of Liquor it is undoubtedly, a threat to the Economy. Consumption of alcohol has dire health consequences. When a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, there is a rise in BAC because of which there is a gradual and progressive loss of driving ability because of an increase in reaction time, overconfidence, degraded muscle coordination, impaired concentration, and decreased auditory and visual acuity. This is known as drunken driving. (V. M. Anantha Eashwar, 2020) Drunken driving is the third biggest cause of road accidents and over speeding in India. Road accidents are not it; alcoholism causes sleep problems, heart, and liver issues. Also, it is not about an individual’s life, it ruins the lives of all people concerned.
Addiction also causes economic loss. In 2000, Vivek Benegal and his team assessed 113 patients admitted to a special de-addiction service for alcohol dependence. They found that
the average individual earned a mean of ₹1,661 but
spent ₹1,938 per month on alcohol, incurring high debt.
They also found that 95% did not work for about 14 days in a month. They concluded that it led to a loss of ₹13,823 per person per year in terms of foregone productivity. A more recent study, Health Impact and Economic Burden of Alcohol Consumption in India, led by Gaurav Jyani, concluded that alcohol-attributable deaths would lead to a loss of 258 million life-years between 2011 and 2050. The study placed the economic burden on the health system at $48.11 billion, and the societal burden (including health costs, productivity loss, and so on) at $1,867 billion. “This amounts to an average loss of 1.45% of the gross domestic product (GDP) per year to the Indian economy,” the study said. (Mint, 2020)
Setho ka Gaon
With each passing day, the ‘curtain of separation’ weighs down on the women of Afghanistan, paving the way for tyranny to thrive.
Arth
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Old Tax VS New Tax Regime
By Kratika Agarwal and Amandeep Singh Bhutani
The Budget 2020 has introduced a new system of taxation in India, which aims to lessen the paperwork for all. On the one hand, the new system has lower slab rates, but it also eliminates some deductions and claims. Another feature of this new tax system is that it is voluntary. This implies that you are not obligated to choose this taxation scheme. You can stick with the old system, which allows you to claim all available deductions and exemptions while also making tax-saving investments. This has left many tax payers confused as to what system to choose.
Old vs New Income Tax Regime
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For different age groups, the old tax regime had distinct slabs. Individuals between the ages of 60 and 80, as well as those above the age of 80, are subject to various exemption limits. Furthermore, the old method allows you to claim deductions on your tax-saving investments.
The new tax regime, on the other hand, applies to all age groups and has the same tax rates. The income slabs are smaller and more evenly split, and there are seven different income slabs.
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Why Continue with old income tax regime?
The old tax system has been in existence for a long time, and you may be more familiar with it. However, whether or not you should use this approach is largely determined by the tax bracket in which your income falls and the tax-saving investments you have in your portfolio.
Because this regime includes deductions for investments, it's a good choice if you have tax-saving investments in your portfolio. This allows you to claim the whole Rs. 1.5 lakhs deduction allowed under section 80C, lowering your income tax obligation significantly.
You can have deductions for NPS investments beyond the Rs. 1.5 lakhs permitted under section 80C under the old system. Section 80CCD(1B) allows you to deduct an additional Rs. 50,000 for NPS contributions. Other benefits include HRA exemption and deductions for house loan interest up to Rs 2 lakhs.
One can adopt this tax regime if the income is low and you are capable of getting deductions offered in the old tax regime.
Why choose the new income tax regime?
The tax rates as per the new tax slabs may be perhaps lower in some cases. So, depending upon the income level, you could be charged a lower rate as per the new tax regime.
Furthermore, because the new tax regime does not allow any tax deductions, a person with fewer tax-saving investments may profit more from the lower tax rates. If your income is large and your tax burden is low in the new tax system compared to the old tax regime, you can use this tax rate.
Things to keep in mind before choosing tax system?
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Deductions and exemptions claimed
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total taxable income before and after deductions and assessing the tax liabilities in both regimes.
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long-term goals and strategizing investments suitably.
Fun Fact:
Salaried individuals have the option to switch between the two tax regimes every year, but the individuals having profit and gains from business and profession don’t have this liberty.
Kratika Aggarwal
Amandeep Singh Bhutani