Statutory Warning: Cigarettes to cost more after budget?
Advertisement
Advertisement
It’s been a month that India’s leading conglomerate While the sudden surge in the price hasn’t been explained much by the company, revision of prices is quite common in pre-budget season.
The demonetization in November has affected the tobacco industry quite deep. Most road side sellers, for first few weeks, didn’t understand how to operate digital payments. And that served as a major setback for the industry. While cigarette is quite important from the economy point of view, doctor’s advice, healthy living and several anti-smoking drives have already unnerved the sector since last few years.
If the prices go further up, which is very highly possible this time, the cigarette companies would need to subsidize on the prices and incur some losses as usual.
ALSO READ: Air travel to get dearer after GST
Advertisement
“The taxation on tobacco should also be rationalized by a duty structure which is a mix of fixed and ad-valorem duty rather than only fixed duty component. By doing this, the Government will be able to generate additional revenue to the tune 20K-30K crore per annum which can be used for social and other activities and will also be discouraging the consumption of tobacco as per the WHO norms. Meanwhile alternative crop for tobacco farmers should also be given top priority, so as to keep their interest,” said
Advertisement
- Global stocks rally even as Sensex, Nifty fall sharply on Friday
- In second consecutive week of decline, forex kitty drops $2.28 bn to $640.33 bn
- SBI Life Q4 profit rises 4% to ₹811 crore
- IMD predicts severe heatwave conditions over East, South Peninsular India for next five days
- COVID lockdown-related school disruptions will continue to worsen students’ exam results into the 2030s: study