Govt To Table New Excise Duty And Cess Bills In Parliament: What The Changes Mean For Tobacco And Pan Masala

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

55% : The companion legislation -- the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill proposes a new cess on the manufacture of pan masala, with provisions allowing the government to notify additional products in future.
54% : The government is set to introduce two key taxation bills in the Lok Sabha on Monday, 1 December 2025, aimed at reshaping the way tobacco and pan masala products are taxed once the existing GST compensation cess is phased out.
51% : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Central Excise Amendment Bill, 2025, alongside the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, marking an important shift in how sin goods are regulated and taxed.
50% : Under the revised tax structure, tobacco items will attract GST plus excise duty, while pan masala will be subject to GST together with the newly proposed cess.
49% : According to the bill's explanatory note, it aims "to give the government the fiscal space to increase the rate of central excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products so as to protect tax incidence," once the existing cess comes to an end.
45% : The cess will apply over and above any other taxes already in force.
41% : The new legislation is designed to maintain the existing tax burden on high-risk goods even after the long-running cess mechanism winds down.

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