Government Adjusts Excise Duty Rates on Various Goods in Economic Bill 2083

Kathmandu. The government has adjusted the excise duty rates on various goods through the Economic Bill 2083. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle stated that the excise duty levied on 360 different items has been abolished through the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84.

However, excise duty rates on items such as liquor and tobacco products have increased. Similarly, excise duty on items like junk food, paints, and juices has also increased. According to the Economic Bill, the excise duty on jaggery, unrefined sugar (bheli) has been increased from Rs 138 per quintal to Rs 140. Similarly, the excise duty on sugarcane molasses has been increased from Rs 110 per quintal to Rs 115.

Excise duty has been increased on chewing gum coated or uncoated with sugar or other sweetening matter, cocoa powder, chocolate without added sugar or other sweetening matter, and other cocoa-containing products. For items like spaghetti, macaroni, and pasta, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 20 per kilogram to Rs 35.

Excise duty has also been increased on bread, cocoa bread, crepes, gingerbread, sweet biscuits, cakes, cookies, pastries, waffles, and wafers. For items like Kurkure, Lays, and Cheese Balls, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 20 per kilogram to Rs 75 per kilogram. Previously, the excise duty on potato chips was Rs 18 per kilogram, which has now been increased to Rs 30 per kilogram.

For various fruit juices such as orange juice, pomelo juice, pineapple juice, grape juice, apple juice, tomato juice, and mango juice, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 13.50 per liter to Rs 14 per liter. The excise duty on tobacco-free pan masala, which was previously Rs 875 per kilogram, has now been increased to Rs 1,150 per kilogram, as mentioned in the Economic Bill.

Similarly, the excise duty on tobacco-free flavored betel nut has been increased from Rs 375 per kilogram to Rs 500 per kilogram. The excise duty on non-alcoholic beer has been doubled from Rs 45 per liter to Rs 90 per liter. The excise duty on energy drinks has been increased from Rs 52 per liter to Rs 120.

The excise duty on light beverages has been increased from Rs 25 per liter to Rs 60. For beer made from malt with up to 5% alcohol, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 240 per liter to Rs 255. For wine with 12% to 17% alcohol, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 460 per liter to Rs 490 per liter.

Similarly, for wine with more than 17% alcohol, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 535 per liter to Rs 570 per liter. The excise duty on Chyang, or country beer, has been increased from Rs 48 per liter to Rs 50 per liter. The excise duty on products like Champagne, Sherry, Mead, Perry Cider has been reduced from Rs 516 per liter to Rs 490 per liter. Similarly, for herbal liquors and cocktails with more than 17% alcohol, the excise duty has been increased from Rs 516 to Rs 570 per liter.

Likewise, the excise duty on tobacco-containing cigars, cheroots, and small cigars has increased from Rs 31 per piece to Rs 35. For filterless tobacco cigarettes, the rate has increased from Rs 778 per thousand to Rs 780. The excise duty on filtered cigarettes up to 70mm in length has increased from Rs 1,792 to Rs 1,845. Excise duty on tobacco products and cigarettes has increased.

Furthermore, the excise duty on paints, enamels for painting, and thermoplastic paint used for road markings has been increased from Rs 7 to Rs 15. The excise duty on floor coverings in tile or roll form has been increased from Rs 10 to Rs 15.