Cow Cess On Liquor? Netizens React To Viral Bar Bill

A bar bill featuring an unexpected 'Cow Cess' tax on liquor has gone viral. A customer was recently charged 20% extra called as "cow cess" on the value-added tax (VAT) for beer at a bar in Jodhpur. At Geoffrey’s bar in Jodhpur’s Park Plaza, the customer’s order of corn fritters and six beers totalled Rs 2,650. After adding GST, VAT, and the 20% cow cess, the bill rose to Rs 3,262.

In a post on X, a user Piyush Rai, shared the bill saying, "This is in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Liquor bill: Cow cess @ 20%". Many social media users questioned the surcharge, but officials clarified that this was not a new move.

In a series of tweets, the user later added, "The irony is the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway which is littered with cattle loitering on the road making it extremely dangerous for commuters. Rajasthan govt is barely doing anything for the rehabilitation of cattle/cows." [sic]

Netizens haven’t minced words, slamming the tax and raising doubts about its true purpose and destination.

Vizhpuneet exclaimed that every drinker is being forced to pay for "cow politics." He said, "20% cow cess on liquor in Rajasthan means every drinker is forced to fund the government’s cow politics. Public’s money is drained for animal welfare PR while lack of transparency & mismanagement persist. Is anyone tracking where this cess actually goes?" [sic]

Nitin Kaushik said he’s in favour of animal welfare but can’t understand why separate levies are needed if regular taxes already exist. If specific causes keep getting fresh "cesses", he joked, “abolish existing taxes and invent a new fee for everything!”

Vijay accused the government of using the cow cess to fund political interests, insisting tenders end up with party insiders while the real work at cow shelters hardly happens. Rajendra Kaushik said the public is made a “fool first, and then a cow afterwards.”

However, there were some netizens who also reminded that this "cow cess" is in place since 2018.

The hotel's manager, Nikhil Prem, told NDTV, "This government notification has been there since 2018. Every time we charge 20% VAT, we charge a 20% cow cess on the VAT amount, which would work out in this case to about 24%. This is only for beer and liquor. Most hotels simply call it a surcharge, but we mention a cow cess. We deposit this money as a cow conservation and propagation cess on government portals."

Cow cess is a special levy imposed by Rajasthan and some others to generate funds specifically for the welfare, conservation, and protection of cows. The revenue collected from this cess is mainly used for establishing and maintaining cow shelters (gaushalas), providing veterinary care, feeding stray cattle, and supporting related infrastructure.

The surcharge was first introduced in 2018 by the Vasundhara Raje government under the Rajasthan Value Added Tax Act, 2003. Initially set at 10%, it was increased to 20% on all categories of liquor viz foreign, Indian-made, country, and beer — to support cow shelters. The policy was continued under the subsequent Congress government led by Ashok Gehlot.