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
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