Bhubaneswar, Mar 10: The Odisha government has collected a total of Rs 6,595.55 crore in tax revenue from the sale of tobacco products and pan masala over the past 11 years, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the assembly on Monday.
Responding to a query from BJP legislator Tankadhar Tripathy, Majhi said that the state earned Rs 174.71 crore in revenue from tobacco and pan masala sales in the 2014-15 financial year. This amount has significantly increased, reaching Rs 1,047.82 crore in the first 11 months of the 2024-25 financial year.
According to the Chief Minister, tax collection from these products has seen a consistent rise over the years. In the 2015-16 fiscal year, the revenue was Rs 147.04 crore, followed by Rs 264.51 crore in 2016-17, and Rs 381.02 crore the following year. The collection then continued to grow, reaching Rs 480.71 crore in 2018-19, and rising further to Rs 609.90 crore, Rs 711.23 crore, Rs 876.63 crore, Rs 889.42 crore, and Rs 1,012.56 crore in subsequent years.
Majhi also revealed that tobacco products and pan masala are being imported into Odisha from 16 different states. It is worth noting that the Odisha government had imposed a state-wide ban on the manufacture, sale, and use of 'gutka' and chewing tobacco containing nicotine back in 2013.
