2026-02-05 / Oral Question: Liquor Licenses (Q.912/2025) 2026-02-05
## Summary
Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera, responding on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, provided detailed statistics on Sri Lanka's liquor licensing and excise duty framework. He reported that 1,428 new liquor licences were issued under Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) approval during 2025, across three licence categories covering hotels, restaurants, and on-premises beer and wine sales. He confirmed that 23 licensed distilleries and warehouses are currently operating, with supporting details placed in the Parliamentary Library. Excise duty on locally produced Special Arrack stands at Rs. 1,832 per 750ml bottle, with total liquor excise revenue for 2024 reaching approximately Rs. 213.39 billion, generated from sales exceeding 167 million bottles of locally produced arrack and foreign-style liquor across various bottle sizes.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, I provide the answer.
(a)
(i) From 01.01.2025 to 31.12.2025, the number of new licences issued for sale of liquor with Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority approval is 1,428.
(ii) Types include:
1. L.6B.07 – SLTDA-approved hotel licence
2. R.B.11 – SLTDA-approved restaurant licence
3. R.B.22B – SLTDA-approved licence for on-premises sale of beer, ale, stout and wine
(iii) Names of licence holders are in Annexure 01, which is lengthy and has been placed in the Library.
(b)
(i) Number of liquor manufacturing distilleries/warehouses: 23.
(ii) Names of the distilleries and warehouses are in Annexure 02.
- Placed in the Library.
(iii) Names of the licence holders of the said distilleries are in Annexure 03.
- Placed in the Library.
(c)
(i) For locally produced liquor of 33.5% alcohol by volume, the excise duty on a 750 ml bottle of Special Arrack is Rs. 1,832/-.
(ii) Excise duty (liquor) in 2024: Rs. 213.39 billion (Rs. 213,389,597,989).
(iii) Bottles sold in 2024:
- Locally produced arrack 750 ml: 29,734,328 bottles
- Locally produced arrack 375 ml: 33,049,388 bottles
- Locally produced arrack 180 ml: 95,009,539 bottles
- Locally produced arrack 700 ml: 7,080 bottles
- Locally produced “foreign” liquor 750 ml: 5,445,359 bottles
- Locally produced “foreign” liquor 375 ml: 2,635,288 bottles
- Locally produced “foreign” liquor 180 ml: 1,778,111 bottles
(d) Does not arise.