Centre tracks pan masala tax tricks

India's new tax regime for tobacco seeks to ensure that any new variants of pan masala—a category the Centre says is highly prone to tax evasion—can be brought under the proposed Health Security Se National Security cess in future, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

- Gireesh Chandra Prasad

The move aims to curb tax evasion while ensuring a steady funding stream for public health and national defence as the goods and services tax (GST) compensation cess ends, she said.