Energy conservation should be encouraged, through higher excise duties on gasoline and deregulated prices.
The chancellor's cuts in fuel and vehicle excise duties for hauliers are even less justified.
Corruption and regulatory failures, including low excise duties on spirits, add to the blight.
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Excise duties are paid on alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and petrol, among other things.
The Lib Dems have also sought to defuse the grievances of hauliers by advocating cuts in vehicle excise duties on freight vehicles.
Reacting to Mr Chidambaram's budget, Mr Singh described it as "anti-inflationary", voicing hopes that proposed reductions in customs and excise duties would reduce higher prices.
And buyers of other marquees are hit with excise duties and sales taxes of 25% to 65% depending on price, while Proton buyers are charged half that.
Under regional free-trade rules, Malaysia must cut import tariffs to as little as 5% though it has managed to defer this until 2008 and to raise excise duties in some cases to 800%.
With no excise tax announcements happening or pending in the near term, the decline in cigarette sales has slowed and the trend is expected to continue unless the market is disrupted by new excise duties.
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Having ticked off one purchase on his London shopping list, Mr Salmond is likely to renew his focus on other items - including control of corporation tax and alcohol excise duties along with wider borrowing powers.
Proposals like that make much more sense than the current hue and cry about punitive excise and fuel duties.
To help them, Mr Vajpayee has offered to cut the excise and customs duties on information-technology-related equipment to close to zero.
The government has been trying to stem price rises by cutting import duties and excise taxes.
Its chairman, David Begg, wants to explore whether road pricing could replace vehicle excise duty and petrol duties.
The report backs the devolution of vehicle excise and air passenger duties - but warns that transferring control of corporation tax to Scotland might simply encourage company tax-dodging.
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The Constitution gave Congress the power to collect duties, imposts and excise taxes but prohibits taxes between the states.
Section 201 of the Implementation Act authorizes the President to proclaim such modifications or continuation of any duty, such continuation of duty-free or excise treatment, or such additional duties, as the President determines to be necessary or appropriate to carry out or apply Articles 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.27, 3.28, and 3.29 and Annex 3.3 of the Agreement.
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