ITC Shares Fall on Budget Day as New Cigarette Tax Takes Effect from Today, February 1

Shares of ITC Ltd fell today  as the new taxation on cigarettes takes effect from today, February 1, 2026. The stock will also be in the spotlight for any further clarity on this that can be announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during Budget 2026. The stock is currently trading at Rs.321 against the previous close of Rs.322.15 on Friday.

On January 1, the Finance Minister had notified that a GST rate of 40% on tobacco, Cigarettes will be effective from February 1, 2026. Clarity is still needed on the actual additional duty or cess imposition and the total tax impact post this implementation.The expected taxation is now to be 40% GST, along with the new excise duty between ₹2,100 to ₹8,500 per 1,000 sticks and the NCCD of ₹510 to ₹850 per 1,000 sticks.ITC shares fell as much as 20% in the month of January, the worst start to a calendar year that the stock has had on record. The fall has also resulted in the stock shedding over ₹1 lakh crore in market capitalization in the month gone by.

Meanwhile, ITC’s Q3 revenue from operations rose 5.8% YoY to ₹19,359.46 crore in Q3FY26, compared to ₹18,290.24 crore in Q3FY25.The EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) for the period stood at ₹6,271 crore, up 7.6% from ₹5,828 crore in the same period in FY25.Along with the quarterly results, ITC announced an interim dividend of ₹6.5 per share for its shareholders. The company has fixed 4th February, 2026, as the record date for the dividend. Meanwhile, dividends will be paid between Thursday, 26th February, 2026 and Saturday, 28th February, 2026 to eligible shareholders. On the downside, the ₹325–₹320 zone is a key support area where prices are currently attempting to stabilise. A sustained break below this zone could lead to further downside movement. Conversely, the previous breakdown level near ₹360–₹365 is likely to act as strong resistance.