Cigarettes may become expensive from February: Prices of electronic goods like AC-fridge will increase by 10%, KYV process for Fastag will end.

Yesterday’s big news was related to cigarettes, BEE star rating and Fastag. Cigarette prices may increase by 20% from next month. The reason for this is the excise duty imposed by the government. A notification regarding this has been issued on 31st December. At the same time, the new star rating rules of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) have come into effect from January 1.

Due to this, the prices of room air conditioners may increase by 10% and the prices of refrigerators may increase by 5%. Additionally, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has stopped the KYV process for new cars. With this, from February 1, 2026, there will be no need for KYV (Know Your Vehicle) process while issuing Fastag for new cars, jeeps and vans.

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1. ₹ 15 cigarettes may cost ₹ 18 from February: Government increased excise duty by removing cess, decision to compensate for revenue loss.

Cigarette prices may increase by 20% from next month. The reason for this is the excise duty imposed by the government. A notification regarding this has been issued on 31st December.

According to this, from February 1, 2026, duty ranging from Rs 2,050 to Rs 8,500 will be charged per 1,000 sticks of cigarettes. Market experts say that to reduce this tax burden, companies can increase the prices of cigarettes.

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2. Electronic goods like AC-fridge can become costlier by up to 10%: New rules of BEE star rating come into effect from today, rising prices of copper also affected.

Electronic appliances like refrigerator (fridge) and air conditioner (AC) may become expensive in the new year. The new star rating rules of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) have come into effect from January 1. Due to this, the prices of room air conditioners may increase by 10% and the prices of refrigerators may increase by 5%.

Companies say that this increase has become necessary due to changes in machinery as per the new rating and use of expensive components. Besides, the weakness of the rupee against the dollar and rising prices of copper in the global market are also putting pressure on manufacturers.

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3. KYV process for Fastag will end from February 1: Vehicle owners will not have to update again and again, banks will themselves verify the data.

From February 1, 2026, KYV (Know Your Vehicle) process will no longer be required while issuing Fastag for new cars, jeeps and vans. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to stop the KYV process for new cars.

Also, the owners of cars which already have Fastag will no longer need to get routine KYV done. With this, vehicle owners will not have to wait for the long verification process despite having valid documents.

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4. Commercial cylinder becomes costlier by ₹ 111 from today: Prices of cars also increased, CNG and PNG became cheaper by ₹ 2, 6 changes to happen in January

From January 1, 2026, the price of commercial gas cylinder has increased by Rs 111. At the same time, you will have to pay more to buy a car.

The Central Government has also announced the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. The timeline has not been specified yet, but it is believed that it may be implemented from January 2026.

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5. GST collection in December increased by 6.1% to cross ₹ 1.74 lakh crore: Increase in revenue even after tax cut; Import earnings increased by 19%

GST collection has increased by 6.1% in December 2025 and has crossed Rs 1.74 lakh crore. According to government data released on January 1, this figure was ₹1.64 lakh crore in December 2024. The collection has increased despite the reduced tax rates in September.

If we analyze the data for the month of December, the earnings from import of foreign goods have increased by 19.7%. Total tax collected from imports was ₹51,977 crore. However, growth in domestic transactions was a bit sluggish and grew by just 1.2% to ₹1.22 lakh crore.

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6. Banks will not function for 16 days this month: Apart from 4 Sundays and 2 Saturdays, banks will remain closed at different places for 10 days.

In the first month of the new year i.e. January 2026, banks will not function for a total of 16 days in different states of the country. According to the latest calendar released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), apart from 4 Sundays and 2nd-4th Saturday of the next month, banks will remain closed at different places for 10 days.

In such a situation, if you have any important work related to the bank in the next month, then you will have to keep these holidays in mind.

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