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Chairman of ITC, YC Deveshwar, has lashed out at the anti-tobacco lobby, and blamed the steep taxation regime for hurting the domestic cigarette-makers.
While questioning the Government’s rationale behind high taxation on cigarettes, the ITC Chairman claimed it aided smuggling and deprived the exchequer at least ₹7,000 crore.
He claimed the smuggled cigarettes captured around 20 per cent of the market.
He also termed some of the NGOs vocal against smoking as “agents of foreign firms”.
Deveshwar questioned their funding sources. “If you check the fund sources of these NGOs, you will see they are funded either by some who are not happy with our foray into the FMCG or by some foreign firms. This is my guess,” he said.
Deveshwar also questioned that if cigarettes were so harmful, then why were they being sold in duty-free shops at airports.
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