Sri Lanka, March 9 -- The Excise Department of Sri Lanka has announced plans to introduce a new type of alcohol at a lower price to combat the growing consumption of illicit liquor.

Commissioner General of Excise, Udaya Kumara, stated at a recent meeting of the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) that the increase in alcohol prices had led many people to resort to consuming illicit alcohol, resulting in a significant loss of tax revenue for the government.

Kumara explained that due to rising alcohol prices, many individuals have turned to illicit alcohol, a trend that has been prevalent for some time.

He emphasized, however, that through regulation and oversight, it is possible to bring consumers back to legal alcohol, thereby increasin...