India, Jan. 3 -- As the Union government moves closer to increasing excise duties on cigarettes, a social media post by an investment adviser has sparked discussion online after he suggested that frequent smokers could travel abroad to buy cheaper cigarettes.

In an X post, Rajat Sharma, a Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered investment adviser and New York-qualified attorney, compared the price of a pack of 20 Marlboro Lights in India with prices in Vietnam. Sharma, who is also the founder of Sana Securities, noted that a pack currently costs around Rs.340 in New Delhi and could rise to about Rs.400 if companies fully pass on the latest excise duty hike to consumers. In contrast, he said, the same pack in Vietnam cost...