<h1>Tobacco taxation changes propose excise duty replacement of GST cess, prompting calls for public health measures and scrutiny.</h1> The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 would replace the GST compensation cess on tobacco with excise duty, setting duties such as 60-70% on unmanufactured tobacco, Rs 2,700-4,500 per 1,000 sticks for specified cigarette lengths, and 25% or Rs 5,000 per 1,000 sticks for cigars and cheroots; parliamentary debate criticised the measure as revenue-focused, urged committee scrutiny, raised risks to farmers, illegal trade, the need to curb surrogate advertising, and called for excise revenues to fund tobacco-related healthcare.