• Source:JND
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Rajasthan News: A restaurant bill from a Jodhpur hotel has gone viral online after it showed a “cow cess” being levied on beer. The incident, which quickly triggered heated debate on social media, took place at Geoffrey’s bar in Park Plaza Hotel on September 30.

The customer’s order included corn fritters and six beers, totalling Rs 2,650. After adding GST, VAT, and a 20 per cent surcharge described as “cow cess”, the bill came to Rs 3,262.

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What The Hotel Said

The NDTV report cited Hotel manager Nikhil Prem as clarifying that, the charge is not new and has been collected since 2018 under a state government notification. “Every time we charge VAT on liquor, we add a 20% cow cess to it. This amount is deposited online into a government fund meant for cow conservation. Most hotels simply mention it as a surcharge, but we list it as cow cess,” he added.

Prem added that the cess applies only to liquor and not to food, which falls under GST.

Why Is The Cow Cess Levied?

According to Rajasthan’s Finance Secretary (Revenue) Kumar Pal Gautam, the cess functions as a surcharge whenever liquor is sold above MRP in bars or restaurants. Since such sales are considered “value addition,” VAT is applied, along with the additional surcharge known as cow cess.

The amount collected goes into the state’s cow protection and conservation fund.

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When Was It Introduced?

The surcharge was first introduced during Vasundhara Raje’s tenure as chief minister. Initially set at 10 per cent, it was increased to 20 per cent in June 2018 and extended to include all categories of liquor, including beer. The Congress government under Ashok Gehlot continued with the policy.

Currently, the Rajasthan government spends more than Rs 2,000 crore on cow-related welfare, including Rs 600 crore on maintaining cow shelters. Officials say while the cow cess contributes to this, additional state funding is also required.