Accordingly, the licenses of Synergy Distilleries (Pvt) Ltd, Finnland Distilleries Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, Wayamba Distilleries, W M Mendis & Co Ltd and the Randenigala Distilleries Lanka (Pvt) Ltd have been suspended.

Excise Commissioner General Saman Jayasinghe said that the annual licenses for these companies, which had long-standing arrears, expired on October 31 and were not renewed.

Accordingly, the production and distribution of their alcohol products have also been prohibited.

"Some companies owe unpaid taxes for an extended period, and we provided them with a deadline to settle their dues. Only a few companies managed to meet this deadline, while one company has obtained a 40-day stay order against the decision," he said.

However, the Commissioner General assured that the market will not face an alcohol shortage due to the suspension of these companies. There are more than 20 liquor manufacturing companies in operation within the country and two companies, accounting for around 70 percent of the total production, are not among those suspended," Jayasinghe said.(Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)