STUNTED

摘要

The path that the Indian tobacco manufacturing industry follows is partly governed by two self-perpetuating half truths. One is that tobacco products other than cigarettes are the poor man's "choice," and the other is that the manufacturers of these products are irreplaceable employers of huge numbers of people. The Indian cigarette industry has done relatively well during the past few years as sales have been nudged up by rising income levels. But the industry—and India at large—could be doing so much better if the country's tobacco products taxation system were more equitable.