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India:
The Tax Treatment of Bidis
Emil M. Sunley
Bidis
• Indian market for smoking tobacco dominated by bidis– Bidis account for 77%
of the market for smoked tobacco
– About 10 bidis smoked for every cigarette
What are Bidis?
• Bidis are shredded tobacco– Tobacco is sun-dried,
hand-rolled in leaf (tendu) and secured with string
• Traditionally non-filtered and non-flavored– Some bidis are now made
with filters and flavorings
Bidi Production
• 3 constituencies involved– Tendu leaf plucker– Bidi tobacco farmer– Bidi manufacturer
• Manufacturing steps – Procurement of raw material– Bidi rolling– Sorting and roasting– Packing
Bidi Manufacturing Process
Tobacco Tendu Leaves
Cultivated and sun- dried by the farmer
Tobacco Processor /
Blender
Government / Department of
Forestry
Tender Process
Bidi Manufacturer’s Representative / Agent
Raw Materials
Plucked and sun-dried by indigenous tribal people
Bidi Manufacturer
Bidi Manufacturing ProcessBidi Manufacturer
Sorting and
roasting
Packaging
Rolling Contractor
Rolled BidisTobacco, tendu
leaves and thread
Rollers Rollers Rollers
Rolling Process
Tobacco, tendu leaves and thread
Rolled Bidis
Bidi Manufacturing Process
Packaging
Wholesaler Wholesaler Wholesaler
Retail
Retail
Retail
Retail Retail
Retail Retail
Retail Retail
Per Stick, Bidis Are as Dangerous as Cigarettes
• Although bidis contain only about 1/5 the amount of tobacco in regular cigarettes, they contain 2-3x more tar and nicotine
• Bidi smokers consume on average twice as many sticks per day as cigarette smokers
• Mortality rate among bidi smokers 20% higher than among cigarette smokers
The Case for Increasing Excise Taxes on Bidis
• Bidis are under-taxed compared to cigarettes– Currently taxed at <10% to <1% of the rates
levied on cigarettes
• In the past, tax rate on bidis kept low to “protect the poor”– However, poor bidi smokers would have
better health and financial stability if they reduce consumption
– There are better ways to help the poor than providing cheap tobacco products
Handmade Bidis Account for Over 98% of the Bidi Market…
But are taxed at only half the rate ofmachine-made bidis
98%
2%
Handmade bidisMachine-made bidis
14
26
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Handmade Machine-made
Ex
cis
e D
uty
(R
s p
er
1,0
00
sti
ck
s)
Percent of Bidi Market
Excise Duty on Bidis is Only 8%of Excise Duty on Micro (</=60mm)
Non-Filter Cigarettes And both duties have barely kept pace with inflation
0
40
80
120
160
200
96
/97
97
/98
98
/99
99
/00
00
/01
01
/02
02
/03
03
/04
04
/05
05
/06
06
/07
07
/08
Exc
ise D
uty
(Rs,
sta
nd
ard
ize
d t
o 2
00
7/0
8,
pe
r 1
,000
sti
ck
s)
Bidis* Cigarettes - Non-filter (</=60 mm)
* Handmade bidis only, which account for 98% of the bidi market.
Bidi Excise Revenues Remain Flat While Cigarette Excise Revenues
Increase
0
20000
40000
60000
8000093
/94
94/9
5
95/9
6
96/9
7
97/9
8
98/9
9
99/0
0
00/0
1
01/0
2
02/0
3
03/0
4
04/0
5
05/0
6
06/0
7
Exc
ise
Tax
Rev
enu
e(R
s, m
illio
ns)
BidisCigarettes
>10 Bidis are Smoked for Every Cigarette…
But Bidis Account for <6% of Combined Excise Tax Revenues (2006/07)
91.8%
8.2%
Bidis consumedCigarettes consumed
5.7%
94.3%
Bidi excise taxesCigarette excise taxes
Excise Tax Burden for Bidis is Much Lower than for All Types of
Manufactured Cigarettes
2.181.58
0.7
1.323
0.819
0.546
0.150.33
0.0140.168
0
1
2
3
4
>70-75 mm </=70 mm >60-70 mm </=60 mm Bidis
Tota
l co
st in
Rs
per
sti
ck
(bas
e p
rice
+ t
ax)
Excise tax dutyBase price
Note: Prices are for most common brand of cigarettes, and for handmade bidis.Cigarettes
Excise Tax on Bidis (Rs 14 per 1,000) is <1% of Tax on Some Cigarettes
1759
1323
819
546
16814
0
500
1000
1500
2000
>75-85mm
>70-75mm
</=70mm >60mm </=60mm Bidis*
Excis
e T
ax
(Rs p
er
1,0
00 s
ticks,
2007/0
8)
Cigarettes
* Handmade bidis only, which account for 98% of the bidi market.
Numbers of Bidis on which Taxes Are Paid Are Decreasing
0
100
200
300
400
500
60096
/97
97/9
8
98/9
9
99/0
0
00/0
1
01/0
2
02/0
3
03/0
4
04/0
5
05/0
6
06/0
7
Tax-
pai
d b
idis
(bill
ion
s o
f st
icks
)
Between 52 and 70% of All Bidis Consumed Are Not Tax-Paid
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Low estimate High estimate
Bid
is c
on
sum
ed(b
illio
ns
of
stic
ks)
Non-tax-paid bidisTax-paid bidis
Micro Non-Filter Cigarette Consumption Increased when Tax Rate Cut, then
Decreased When Tax Rate Increased Likely Due to Shift to Bidis Taxed at Lower Rates
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
2500093
/94
94/9
5
95/9
6
96/9
7
97/9
8
98/9
9
99/0
0
00/0
1
01/0
2
02/0
3
03/0
4
04/0
5
05/0
6
Cig
aret
te C
on
sum
pti
on
(No
n-f
ilter
</=
60m
m,
mill
ion
s o
f st
icks
)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Exc
ise
Tax
Rat
e(N
on
-filt
er <
/=60
mm
,R
s p
er 1
,000
cig
., cu
rren
t R
s)Micro non-filter cig. consumptionExcise tax rate
Recommendations to Rationalize Tax System
• Eliminate distinction between handmade and machine-made bidis– Higher excise on machine-made bidis favors
handmade process (98% of bidis are handmade)– Negligible revenue effect in short-term – Over time, would lead to greater use of machines
to produce bidis– Impact:
Bidi industry would employ fewer people; those employed would be paid more
Bidi manufacturing would be less fragmented, making it easier to collect excise duties
Recommendations to Rationalize Tax System (cont.)
• Eliminate small producer exemption– Or alternatively limit it to truly small companies
and allow inspections
• Reduce tax evasion– Prohibit sale of unbranded bidis– Require reporting to Excise Department of all
sales to and by manufacturers or their agents
• Increase excise rate on bidis– From current Rs 14 per 1,000 sticks to at least
Rs 168 per 1,000 sticks– Same rate as micro non-filter cigarettes
Reform of the National Goods and Services Tax (GST)• Treat excisable goods as other goods,
subject to VAT (not exempting bidis)
• Set a single specific excise rate for all cigarettes– Initially set higher than the excise rate for
regular filter cigarettes
• Over several years, increase excise rate on bidis to single rate for all cigarettes
