Why Tasmac Staff Oppose Tamil Nadu’s New Liquor Bottle Return Scheme

The dispute over the new liquor bottle return system in Tamil Nadu has exposed concerns about whether Tasmac outlets are equipped to collect and store empty bottles.

Why the ₹10 charge became controversial

For a long time, customers at Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) outlets were charged an additional ₹10 over the maximum retail price (MRP) of liquor bottles.

Successive governments issued instructions prohibiting the practice, but the extra collection continued at some outlets.

Shop employees said they used the money to meet expenses including bottle breakages, internet charges and other miscellaneous costs.

The issue came under sharper scrutiny after the TVK-led coalition assumed office.

The government then issued strict guidelines and suspended employees found collecting money above the MRP.

What is the new buyback scheme?

In a significant policy shift, Tasmac announced a ₹10 increase in the MRP of all liquor variants from November 1, 2026.

The increase was introduced as an environment cess.

Under the new arrangement, consumers would be eligible for a ₹10 refund when they returned empty liquor bottles.

The corporation referred to the arrangement as a “buyback” scheme.

This changed the purpose of the ₹10 collection. Instead of an unauthorised charge retained at the outlet, the amount was linked to the return of empty bottles through the new system.

Why are employees objecting?

The rollout faced problems on its first day, when several outlets shut without prior notice.

Employees cited technical glitches in point-of-sale (POS) machines as one reason for the disruption.

They also said outlets lacked enough space to store the bottles returned by consumers.

These problems raised questions about Tasmac’s preparedness to implement the system.

The immediate difficulty, therefore, was not only the change in the MRP but also the practical requirements of recording refunds and storing returned bottles at outlets.

Source: The Hindu