The last grace period granted to six major liquor manufacturers to pay the outstanding excise duty of Rs. 5.5 billion ended on November 30.
Before that date, Kalutara Synergy Distilleries, Kurunegala Wayamba Distilleries, Finland Distilleries, Hingurana Distilleries (Private) and Randenigala Distilleries Lanka (Private) had paid the nearly Rs. 3 billion in arrears to the Excise Department.
However, W.M. Mendis, a major liquor manufacturer, has not yet paid its outstanding excise duty and is therefore at risk of having its liquor license revoked.
W.M. Mendis & Co. is a company owned by Arjun Aloysius, who is currently in prison for VAT fraud, and is one of the oldest liquor manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka.