Smokers and tobacco consumers will have to shell out more for their indulgence as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley continued with the crackdown on cigarettes and tobacco products by increasing taxes in the Budget for 2017-18.
The finance minister, however, made an attempt to make it more affordable for clean energy sources by cutting duties on solar tempered glass, fuel cell based power generating systems and wind operated energy generator.
Items that will turn costlier:
- Cigarettes, pan masala, cigar, cheroots, bidis, chewing tobacco
- LED lamp components
- Cashew nuts (roasted and salted)
- Aluminum ores and concentrates
- Polymer coated MS tapes used in manufacturing of optical fibres
- Silver coins and medallions
- Printed circuit board used in making mobile phones
Items that will turn cheaper:
- Booking railway tickets online
- RO membrane elements for household usage
- LNG
- Solar tempered glass used in solar panels
- Fuel cell based power generating systems
- Wind operated energy generator
- Vegetable tanning extracts used in making leather products
- POS machines card and fingerprint readers
- Group insurance for Defence services
Source: Rediff