Tasmac customers in Tamil Nadu will pay an additional Rs 10 for every liquor bottle from November 1, but can reclaim the amount by returning the empty bottle at any Tasmac outlet, under a new environment cess and collection system issued by the state-run retailer.
The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, or Tasmac, has circulated instructions to liquor manufacturers, depots, district managers and retail shop staff for implementing the scheme. The revised maximum retail price will include the Rs 10 environment cess, meaning outlet staff cannot charge consumers anything above the printed MRP in the name of bottle collection.
The scheme will be launched in three Tasmac districts in Chennai and five other districts where its rollout had earlier been delayed because of opposition from retail workers. Consumers will not need to return a bottle to the outlet where they bought it. Any Tasmac outlet can accept the empty bottle and reimburse the additional Rs 10.
The decision follows the passage of a Bill allowing an environment cess of up to Rs 20 on liquor prices. Prohibition and Excise Minister K Vignesh said the cess was introduced after complaints that consumers were being made to pay amounts above the MRP in the name of empty bottle collection. Under the new instructions, any collection above the revised MRP will be treated as unauthorised and may lead to disciplinary action, according to the circular.
Tasmac officials in all five regions have been asked to coordinate with banks where the corporation maintains its accounts to ensure that Rs 10 notes and coins are available for reimbursements. The collection will initially be managed by staff at each retail outlet. The bottles will then be handed over to approved vendors until a reverse vendor is selected through a tender process.
The interim arrangement will also provide daily funds to outlets to manage the additional work. Shops within Chennai Corporation limits will receive up to Rs 2,000 per day, while outlets in other municipal corporations will receive Rs 1,800. Shops in municipalities and town panchayats will receive Rs 1,600, and those in village panchayats will receive Rs 1,500.
The circular said reimbursement costs will be met from the environment cess and that district managers must maintain records. The arrangement places the first stage of bottle recovery inside the existing retail network rather than assigning the task immediately to a separate collection agency. The final handling and reverse-vendor system will depend on the outcome of the tender process.
The proposed system has raised concerns among Tasmac employees about staffing, storage and operating costs. D Dhanasekaran, general secretary of the Tasmac Workers’ Association affiliated to AITUC, said the scheme was being introduced at short notice and that the daily allocation may not cover additional manpower and premises needed to store empty bottles. He said implementation should have followed the appointment of a reverse vendor.
The immediate operational challenge is therefore not only collecting bottles but also recording refunds, maintaining sufficient small-denomination cash and storing the returned material at retail outlets. Tasmac’s instructions make outlet staff responsible for the initial collection, while the corporation works towards finalising the vendor arrangement through a tender. The new MRP and reimbursement process are scheduled to take effect on November 1.
