Bengaluru: For smokers, calculators may have become as important as their lighters this week. With tobacco products now attracting the highest slab — 40% — under the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST), the city’s cigarette shops have turned into informal debate clubs with many maintaining they are exploring two options: to quit smoking, or at least reduce it.“Quitting means a 10-15% increment in my salary,” said a private firm employee standing outside a bakery selling cigarettes on Jogupalya main road in Ulsoor. His friend chimed in with some irritation: “Every time they do this, they act as if they care about our health. If the govt really cares, why not just ban tobacco products instead of taxing us to death?”Behind the humour lies arithmetic. A packet of 20 cigarettes that costs Rs 340 now could touch Rs 380 from Sept 22, back-of-the-envelope calculations show. That’s Rs 40 more each day for a pack-a-day smoker — or Rs 1,200 a month. A two-smoker household could see tobacco costs climb significantly. Throw in a family member who prefers chewable tobacco, and the figure climbs further. For lower-income families, the burden will feel heavier.Paan shops and petty traders on New BEL Road, Church Street, Richmond Road, and Residency Road told TOI they have spent the past two days listening to customer complaints.That familiar question — ban or bleed — echoed in many parts of the city. But high tobacco taxes aren’t unique to India. “Sin goods” have been heavily taxed across Europe and parts of the US for decades. Public health experts see the hike as a tested deterrent, for there is evidence worldwide that higher taxes reduce tobacco use, especially among the young. But the outcome may be less straightforward. White-collar smokers may absorb the rise, while poorer families shuffle limited budgets.A middle-aged man on Church Street offered a summary laced with irony: “We’re doing national service. Every puff funds the govt.” His companion, not as amused, cut in: “And empties the wallet.”As the smoke clears from this week’s GST hike, Bengaluru’s tobacco users may not quit en masse. But they are, at the very least, doing the math.
