No Budweiser, Hoegaarden in Delhi Anymore: Govt Bans AB InBev

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The Delhi government has banned leading brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) from selling products of beer brands under it in the city. The step was taken after the company was accused of evading tax for three years, Reuters reported on Tuesday, 30 July.

This means that products of beer brands like Budweiser, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois – which all come under AB InBev – would not be available in Delhi's liquor shops, restaurants, pubs, etc.

A government order from 16 July said the bar codes on beer bottles were being "duplicated by... SABMiller (a company which AB InBev had acquired in 2016) and supplied to the retail outlets to evade payment of excise duty."

According to the Reuters report, two warehouses belonging to AB InBev in Delhi have also been sealed.

Indicating that the company would appeal against the order, an AB InBev spokesperson reportedly said, "Integrity and ethics are part of our core values... (We) look forward to presenting our views in full cooperation with the excise appellate process."

(With inputs from Reuters.)