
Maharashtra bars, permit rooms declare bandh on July 14 to protest tax hikes
The bandh is to oppose the state government's tax hikes, including rise in VAT (value added tax) on liquor to 10 per cent, a 15 per cent increase in annual licence fees and a 60 per cent spike in excise duty, in a span of one year, AHAR said in a statement.
These tax hikes are pushing the ₹ 1.5 lakh-crore industry to the edge of collapse, it said.
'The entire hospitality sector in Maharashtra is bleeding. Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. On July 14, every bar and permit room in the state will be shut in protest. Entire Maharashtra bars will remain shut against the state government's draconian taxation,' AHAR president Sudhakar Shetty said.
Members across Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, and Konkan have confirmed full participation, he added.
These hikes, clubbed with ongoing post-COVID recovery challenges, have rendered the business model unviable for thousands of establishments, said AHAR. The move will not only wipe out thousands of small and mid-sized businesses but also lead to mass unemployment and a black market surge in liquor smuggling from neighbouring states, it claimed.
'This is not just an economic blow, it is a death blow to an industry that contributes significantly to employment and state taxes,' said Shetty.
The 20,000-strong permit rooms and bars industry directly and indirectly employs over 20 lakh jobs, and supports a wider ecosystem of 48,000 vendors.
National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI, and affiliated as well as non-affiliated associations of hotels and restaurants in Maharashtra have extended their support to the July 14 bandh.
The industry also plays a vital role in Maharashtra's tourism-driven economy, especially in cities like Mumbai and Pune, they said.
'We stand united with our fraternity members across Maharashtra in expressing our deep concern over these regressive policy measures. If implemented, they will further strain the already fragile business environment and will hurt both consumers and operators.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
14 minutes ago
- News18
Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam official suspended for misbehaving with consumer
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Lucknow, Jul 27 (PTI) A superintendent engineer (SE) of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam has been suspended for allegedly misbehaving with a consumer, officials said on Sunday. Sharing the suspension order of SE Prashant Singh on X, Uttar Pradesh Energy and Urban Development Minister A K Sharma said, 'Upbhogta Devo Bhav (consumer is god)!" 'The SE of Basti, Prashant Singh, has been suspended with immediate effect for his insensitivity and indecent behaviour towards the complaint of electricity consumers. 'All other electricity officers and employees have been directed for effective and quick solution of consumer problems. Everyone should be ready for public service," Sharma said. The suspension order was issued on Saturday by Chief Engineer (administration) Arvind Nayak on behalf of the managing director of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam (PVVN). It said that Bharat Pandey, a resident of Mudaghat in Basti district, lodged a complaint with Singh over phone on July 18 about non-supply of electricity. The suspension order said Singh behaved 'indecently" with the complainant despite being in a responsible position, which fell under the category of 'misconduct". Singh will remain attached to the office of the MD, PVVN, Varanasi, during his suspension period, the order said. Accountability will be fixed from the top management of the power corporation to the field-level officials, he said. Arbitrary behaviour of any staff member hindering development will be strongly dealt with, the minister said in the statement. 'Despite substantial investments in power infrastructure – over Rs 26,000 crore in the last three years – the image of the government and the department is being damaged by the carelessness of a few employees. 'In view of the state's development needs and the rights of the consumers, such irresponsibility will no longer be accepted," Sharma said. PTI CDN NAV ARI view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 00:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Time of India
35 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lodha Developers to launch Rs 17,000 crore worth housing projects by March next year
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Realty firm Lodha Developers Ltd remains bullish on growth potential in housing market as it plans to launch Rs 17,000 crore worth residential projects by March next to meet consumers an interview with PTI, the company's Executive Director ( Finance) Sushil Kumar Modi noted that the high demand for residential properties , being seen post-Covid pandemic, would not only sustain but grow further, driven by the country's economic growth, income tax relief in the Budget and reduction in interest rates on home loans He sounded confident of achieving the target of selling Rs 21,000 crore worth of properties in the current fiscal year, a 19 per cent increase from the preceding year."We remain in track and are thereby remain confident of achieving Rs 21,000 crore of pre-sales guidance for the current fiscal year," Modi said the company has a huge launch pipeline to meet the target."At the beginning of this fiscal, we had estimated launch of Rs 18,000 crore worth projects but with an acquisition of five land parcels in June quarter, we now have clear visibility of launches at about Rs 25,000 crore for the entire 2025-26," Modi company has already launched Rs 8,000 crore worth of housing projects in the first quarter, which means that Rs 17,000 crore worth of homes will be offered for sales in the remaining three quarters of this fiscal."Strong launch pipeline combined with interest rate reduction on home loans and income tax relief will provide significant amount of tailwainds for our business and help achieve the pre-sales target," Modi Lodha Developers clocked a 10 per cent growth in its sales bookings during April-June period of this fiscal year to Rs 4,450 Indian real estate , Modi mentioned that the launches and sales are skewed towards the second half of the fiscal year because of festival season, which generates an additional on the financial front, Lodha Developers on Saturday reported a 42 per cent increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 675.1 crore for the first quarter of this fiscal net profit stood at Rs 475.9 crore in the year-ago income rose to Rs 3,624.7 crore in the April-June period of the 2025-26 fiscal year from Rs 2,918.3 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding Developers is one of the leading real estate companies in the the 2024-25 fiscal year, the company posted a net profit of Rs 2,766.6 crore on a total income of Rs 1,4169.8 Developers has a strong presence in the residential markets of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune and company has delivered 110 million sq ft of real estate and is developing more than 130 million sq ft under its ongoing and planned portfolio.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Foreign policy expert delivers lecture at IIT-ISM
Dhanbad: Acclaimed expert in conservative political thought, economics, and foreign Policy, Suvrokamal Dutta, addressed newly admitted students of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad on Sunday as part of the institute's orientation programme. His talk, titled "India's Foreign Policy and the Rise of the Indian Economy ", highlighted India's growing stature as a global economic and strategic power. In his address, Dutta, who was also a member of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee govt's policy team, emphasized India's emergence as a dominant force in the Indo-Pacific and its assertive diplomacy. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he underlined India's military strength and global recognition, including appreciation from the United States. "India is poised to lead the global economy by 2040 and pointed to China's relative decline post Covid-19," he said, urging students to take pride in India's civilizational roots. Sukumar Mishra, director, IIT (ISM), welcomed and felicitated Dutta.