Search
      Channels
  News
  Home Loans
  Commercial Loans
  Insurance
  Credit Cards
  Calculators
  NRI Center
     Investment
  Mutual Funds
  Stock Research
  Market Tools
  Special Reports
  Fund Focus
  Company Focus
  Sector Focus
  Interviews
     Services
  Greetings
  Message Board
Partners
Home -> Finance -> Full Story

Union Budget: What is costlier, what is cheaper?
Monday, February 28 2005 17:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: You will have to pay more for cigarettes, pan masala, tobacco products and branded jewellery, but housewives will be a happier lot with the relief offered on edible oil, vanaspati, match boxes, tea and some other kitchen items in the Union Budget for 2005-06.

Virtually playing to the gallery, Finance Minister P Chidambaram sought to please the lower and middle-class women folks by reducing the duty on imitation jewellery but more than made up for the concession by hiking the tax on high-value branded jewellery.

Spotlight: Budget 2005

Let's take a quick look at what could become more expensive and what will cost lesser now.

What will cost more?

  • Branded jewellery will become more expensive with the levy of 2% excise duty;
  • Petrol and diesel to cost Rs 0.50 more per litre;
  • Cigarettes and tobacco products will be costlier. Bidis spared;
  • Paan masala
  • Memberships of clubs and associations and packaging will cost more;
  • Imported cut flowers like orchids;
  • Mosaic tiles;
  • Road tractors;
  • Withdrawing of over Rs 10,000 in cash on a single day from a bank. You will need to pay Rs 10 as tax on this;
  • With the proposal to levy a 4% countervailing duty on information technology products, IT hardware will become more expensive. Software, however, has been exempted from the proposed duty;
  • Construction items like steel; and
  • Cement because of the proposal to hike excise duty.


What is cheaper?
  • Air-conditioners, cell-phones;
  • Imported fabrics and garments;
  • Cakes and pastries will become cheaper;
  • Metal inputs like coking coal and calcined alumina;
  • Tea, vanaspati, edible oils may cost less.
  • Imitation jewellery to cost less.
  • Textile imports get cheaper as customs duty on textiles has been reduced 20% to 10%.
  • Edible oil & vanaspati to become cheaper.
  • Polyster imports get cheaper as customs duty on polyester products down 20% to 15%.


PTI



Related Stories
Highlights of Budget 2005-06 presented by FM