Smoke break to get pricier: Cigarettes to get costlier from February 1 as new excise duty kicks in - Times of India

Smokers will have to pay more for cigarettes from February 1, as the Centre rolls out a new excise duty regime based on cigarette length, along with a health cess on pan masala and tobacco products. The move marks the first major tax increase on cigarettes in nearly seven years and aligns India’s tobacco taxation closer to global public health norms.The new levies approved by Parliament in Decembe…