Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on Saturday (Feb 1) for the fiscal year 2025-2026. It was her eighth consecutive Union Budget presentation, a record. 

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This also takes her closer to the record made by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, who presented 10 budgets across different terms. 

As the budget was put on the table, it clarified what is cheaper now and what's expensive. 

Also read: 'Tax simplification is complete': After Budget 2025, FM Sitharaman promises income tax reforms bill next week

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Here's a look at what's cheaper and what's costlier: 

List of things that got cheaper

1. Electronics
Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on open cell for interactive flat panel display, touch glass sheet, and touch sensor for LED/LCD TVs reduced from 15 to five per cent. 

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2. Life-savings drugs 
A total of 36 drugs for cancer and rare diseases are exempted from BCD. 

3. EV, phone batteries
The list of exempted capital goods will include 35 new goods for electronic vehicle (EV) battery production and 28 new goods for mobile phone battery production. 

4. Seafood
In the new budget, customs duty on frozen fish paste is reduced from 30 to five per cent. Further, customs duty on fish hydrolysate for the manufacture of aquatic feed is reduced from 15 to five per cent.

Also read: ‘Force multiplier’ for India’s growth: PM Modi applauds Union Budget 2025

5. Cobalt powder
Customs duty was reduced from five per cent to nil. 

6. Wet Blue leather 
Customs duty on wet blue weather was reduced from 10 per cent to nil. 

7. Synthetic flavouring essences
Customs duty on mixtures of odoriferous substances used in the food or drink industries was reduced from 100 to 20 per cent. 

8. Mobile equipment
Customs duty on inputs/sub-parts of the camera module, connectors, manufacture of wired headset, microphone and receiver, USB cable, fingerprint reader/ sensor of cellular mobile phone reduced from 2.5 per cent to nil. 

9. Motorcycle imports 
Customs duty on engine capacity not exceeding 1600 CC was reduced to 40 per cent, semi-knocked down reduced to 20 per cent, and completely knocked down reduced to 10 per cent. Moreover, engine capacity of 1600 CC and above was reduced to 30 per cent.

Also read: Union Budget 2025: 36 life saving drugs, medicines fully exempted from custom duty

10. Shipbuilding
Exemption on customs duty for ships and their parts has now been extended for 10 more years. 

11. Space satellite equipment
Customs duty imposed on the building of launch vehicles and launching of satellites, ground installation for satellites, including its spares and consumables, reduced to nil.

12. Shuttle less looms
Customs duty on rapier looms and air jet looms, which are to be used in the textile industry, reduced from 7.5 per cent to nil

13. Waste and scrap of lithium
Customs duty reduced on ion battery, lead, zinc, antimony, beryllium, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, molybdenum, rhenium, tantalum, tin, tungsten, zirconium, and copper scrap reduced to nil

List of things that got costlier 

1. Interactive flat display
In the new budget regime, the customs duty has been increased to 20 per cent from 10 per cent, as the finance minister said that it is aimed at rectifying the inverted duty structure.

2. Knitted fabrics
The customs duty on knitted fabrics has been hiked from 10 to 20 per cent. 

3. Social Welfare Surcharge
The exemption has been removed on 82 tariff lines currently under cess.

(With inputs from agencies)