If you’re a Delhiite and your choice of poison is beer (especially Budweiser, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois), then we’ve got some news for you. For the uninitiated beer maker, SABMiller was being investigated for alleged tax evasions in the capital for quite some time. In 2016, its operations were taken over by the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev).
The law states that each and every bottle should display a unique bar code that can be traced. Now, after a random inspection, the authorities have found that the bottles of these brands had duplicated barcodes to circumvent duties and levies.
News18 quoted the Delhi government order which stated,
“The barcodes were being duplicated by … SABMiller and supplied to the retail outlets to evade payment of excise duty.”
The company has now been banned from selling fresh stock in the capital for a period of 3 years. The order also seeks to blacklist it and seal its warehouses.
Business Standard quoted an official saying,
“This means the company is debarred from Delhi market for all purposes, unless they appeal against this.”
AB InBev, is in fact, going to file an appeal on two grounds. First, that the investigation pertained to SABMiller prior to its acquisition. And second, the duplicated bar codes may be the result of “technical or clerical errors in the barcoding system”.
Here is how netizens reacted to the ban.
If the maker of Budweiser etc evaded excise taxes, a heavy fine could have been imposed on it or its key management personnel prosecuted. Why punish customers and its employees by banning its beers for 3 years in Delhi? Ban the Power to Ban @ShekharGupta
— ankur chandra (@ankurchandra123) July 31, 2019
#Delhi government bans maker of #Budweiser, Hoegaarden #beers for 3 years
Delhiites: Let's head to #Noida & #Gurugram to quench our thirst pic.twitter.com/Vbkv2VrWtw
— Manoj Gupta (@PassionForNews) July 31, 2019
Delhi banning world biggest brewer – AB InBev is huge. With big brands like Corona, Horgaarden, Stella and Budweiser out of the way, the market is now open for @bira91 to take. Don’t think @WhiteRhinoIndia will let go of their home turf that easily tho.
— Kishore Kumar (@kishorenkumar) July 31, 2019
Life has no meaning now after Delhi government bans Stella Artois, Budweiser and Hoegaarden for 3 years. Sun rahe ho @RamneekPantal
— SuperKid (@illusionatorr) July 31, 2019
Apparently @abinbev is banned in #Delhi for tax evasion.
Fav bud is banned, looks like life is going hay-wards. #okbye #Budweiser
— एजेंट Boomer (@deekayboi) July 30, 2019
Until the appeal is heard and a decision taken, no more Budweiser, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois for Delhiites.