Vijayawada, Jan. 2 -- Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) on Friday urged the Government to roll-back the notified excise rates on various grades of Tobacco and revise them to revenue-neutral rates, to disincentivise smuggling, and support domestic agriculture.
It has reacted sharply to the Ministry of Finance notification of the Chewing Tobacco, Jarda Scented Tobacco and Gutkha Packing Machines (Capacity Determination and Collection of Duty) Rules, 2026 that has imposed an excise duty of Rs 2,050-8,500 per 1,000 sticks, depending on cigarette length, effective from February 1.
In a statement, Murali Babu, FAIFA president said: "While announcing GST 2.0 on 4 September 2025, Government had assured that in the case of tobacc...