Myanmar approves 25 types of liquor licenses, 5,956 in number for 2026-2027 fiscal year

It is reported that the Directorate of General Administration, Head Office, in Mandalay Region has approved 25 types of liquor licenses, totaling 5,956, for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. During the third regular session of the Mandalay Region Hluttaw held on August 7, U Kyaw San, the Hluttaw representative for Constituency No. 2 of Aung Myay Thar San Township, asked, "Regarding the Mandalay Region Liquor Tax Collection Law, whether it will be amended and supplemented to be in line with the times, including tax rates, and whether there are or are not any bylaws drafted, whether there are or are not any measures to investigate and take action against sales that do not match the type of license, and whether there are or are not any plans to manage for compliance, whether there is or is not permission to sell at 2 or 3 shops with a single license, and whether there are or are not plans to take action against shops selling in this manner, how will action be taken if alcohol and beer are sold without a license in grocery stores, convenience stores, and soft drink shops, whether there are or are not any types of restricted alcohol and beer that are not allowed to be imported, and if so, how have shops selling those alcohols and beers been dealt with, and for hotels, motels, and restaurants, whether sales at restaurants, beer shops, hotels, motels, and guesthouses are properly checked for the relevant liquor licenses, and if not, how will action be taken, and what are the numbers of licenses issued in the 2025-2026 fiscal year and the 2026-2027 fiscal year by liquor license type? " In response to the questions, Major General Ne Lin Soe, the Security and Border Affairs Minister of the Mandalay Region Government, stated, "The Mandalay Region Liquor Tax Collection Law was enacted on March 15, 2012, and the law amending this law was enacted by the Mandalay Region Government on February 28, 2019. Liquor tax is being collected according to the liquor tax rates stipulated in the law, and before the 2025-2026 fiscal year, liquor tax amounting to 9,296.783 million kyats was collected. To make the liquor tax law a law that is in line with the times, it was enacted by the National Defence and Security Council Law No. 13/2026 on March 7, 2026, and after the law comes into effect, if it is necessary to enact the Region Liquor Tax Collection Law again based on that law and the resulting bylaws, it will be done. Measures are being taken to prevent illegal liquor businesses in Mandalay Region, to prevent operations in locations other than the permitted ones, and to ensure that the business matches the type of liquor license, by forming a liquor shop inspection and supervision committee and taking action in accordance with the law. In terms of comparing the issuance of liquor licenses by year, 5,938 licenses were issued in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and 5,956 licenses have been issued in the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Therefore, the Directorate of General Administration, Head Office, in Mandalay Region has approved 25 types of liquor licenses, totaling 5,956, for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. Measures are being taken to ensure compliance with the stipulated terms and conditions for each type of approved liquor license, to prevent operations in locations other than the permitted ones, to ensure that the approved liquor license matches the business, to prevent the duplication of liquor licenses, and to prevent illegal unlicensed liquor businesses, by forming a liquor shop inspection and supervision committee (Task Force) and taking action."