ISLAMABAD- The prices of cigarette and mobile phones have augmented illicitly due to the increase in General Sale Tax (GST) in budget 2008-09, which by law would be implemented, if passed by the assembly, on first of July. In fiscal budget 2008-09, Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar had announced imposition of duty of Rs 500 on import of mobile sets in addition to 1 per cent increase in GST from July. However, the mobile outlets and general stores have increased the prices of the same even before the imposition of the tax. TheNation observed that the prices of mobile sets, new as well as used ones, have been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 700, the vendors being referring to the budget speech. The depicted tax, which has to be implemented next month, put into practice here on 11 of June after a day of the annual budget ceremony. "But the shopkeepers don't pay much to those who sell old ones while claiming budget speech demanded extra charges when they sell their own sets," Ansar Abbas, a mobile phone user, coming out from a mobile outlet, said. Prices of the cigarettes have mounted after budget speech and it made hard for smokers to puff the cigarettes. "I was a smoker of expensive brand of the cigarettes before the budget but now present prices pressed me to change the brand," Naveed Akbar, an employee in private firm said. He further said that shopkeepers have started minting money from the consumers, yet the budget summery had not ratified by the National Assembly. The big stores, it has been learnt, had started hoarding, especially those items whose prices were expected to increase in the budget. "A shopkeeper stored the selected items according to his resource and assets, milliners stored in million while low profile shopkeepers as per their resource," Muhammad Zaheer, a government employee said. He added shopkeepers were doing this practice of hoarding of products in the name of stock for next month of July.