Agent must pay prescribed privilege fees under Bombay Prohibition (Privileges Fees) Rules, 1954
Rule 58 amended to impose joint compliance obligations on licensee and agent
Form FL-III Condition No. 9 updated from "licensee" to "the licensee and the Agent of the said licence if any, both"
Effective Date: 24th June, 2025 (from date of publication — brought into force immediately without prior publication under Section 143(3) proviso)
Authority: Section 143(2)(i) read with proviso to Section 143(3) of Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949
AMENDMENT 2
Amended Rule/Section: Rule 5-B and Rule 5-C of the Bombay Prohibition (Privileges Fees) Rules, 1954
Type of Change: Fee Revision / New Insertion
What Changed: This amendment reduces the privilege fee discount applicable to FL-III licensees and introduces a new annual fee for agent-based business arrangements. Rule 5-B originally prescribed a 50 per cent reduction on privilege fees; this has been reduced to 15 per cent—a significant hardening of the fee structure, increasing the effective tax burden on FL-III licensees by 35 percentage points. Simultaneously, new Rule 5-C introduces an entirely new annual fee of 10 per cent of the applicable licence fee payable by any FL-III licensee who chooses to operate through an agent under an agreement. This new fee applies to the privilege of "having the agreement for conducting business of his licence in Form F.L. III granted under Maharashtra Foreign Liquor, 1953" with prior approval of the licensing authority. The new fee is levied annually and represents an additional recurring cost for licensees utilizing the agent arrangement mechanism.
Key Details:
- Rule 5-B: Privilege fee discount reduced from 50% to 15%
- New Rule 5-C: Annual agent authorization fee = 10% of applicable license fee
- New fee applies to FL-III licenses operated through authorized agents only
- Fee is recurring (levied annually) and payable alongside privilege fees
- Applies only where agreement with agent is approved by licensing authority
- Affects FL-III licensees exclusively
Effective Date: 24th June, 2025 (from date of publication — brought into force immediately without prior publication under Section 143(3) proviso)
Authority: Section 143(2)(u) read with proviso to Section 143(3) of Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949
PROCEDURAL NOTES
Both amendments are issued under Notification No. MIS-0425/C.R.82/Exc-2, dated 24th June, 2025, from the Home Department (Central Section). Both were brought into force without previous publication by invoking the emergency proviso under Section 143(3) of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949. The amendments collectively establish a legal framework permitting FL-III licensees to delegate operational control to agents while maintaining strict state oversight, with corresponding fee adjustments that increase the financial obligations on licensees utilizing this arrangement.