Cigarette shares slide on speculation of hike in excise duty on tobacco products

ITC (down 1.48%), Godfrey Phillips India (down 1%), VST Industries (down 1.48%) and Golden Tobacco (down 0.07%), edged lower.
The BSE Sensex was up 58.16 points or 0.32% at 17,998.71.
According to reports, the government will take a decision to hike excise duty on tobacco products at the end of the Parliament session because price rise is a politically sensitive issue. The excise duty rate on cigarettes currently varies depending on the length of the cigarette.