Govt Wants To Up Tobacco Tax And Reduce Nicotine Content In Ciggies
The Health Ministry is getting serious on smokers. Will this encourage you or your smoker friends to stop smoking?
By Mei Mei Chu — 19 Jun 2013, 11:27 AM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Health Ministry is considering to increase tobacco tax
The Health Ministry is mulling an increase in tobacco tax as part of an ongoing effort to implement better regulations to curb smoking habit in Malaysia.
Its deputy director-general, Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, said the proposed tax increase is to exercise more stringent control on the tobacco industry.
malaysiandigest.com"The issues highlighted that increased taxation on tobacco will cause cigarette prices to increase, thus leading to people buying contraband cigarettes have not been directly linked," he said at a press conference today after participating in a roundtable discussion on tobacco control.
malaysiandigest.com"Instead, increasing tobacco tax will allow funds to be channelled back to the government so that we can carry out more activities on eradicating this habit," he said.
However, he said the Finance Ministry will be consulted on how to tackle this matter.
Tar and nicotine content in cigarettes to be reduced in June
The Health Ministry will be asking cigarette companies in the country to reduce tar and nicotine content in cigarettes to further discourage smoking among Malaysians, said its minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the proposal by the government to reduce the two substances had been deliberated on and a detailed announcement would be made in June before being enforced by year-end.
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The proposal to reduce the tar and nicotine content in cigarettes as a preventive measure against tobacco-related diseases would be implemented in June this year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
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The tar content in each cigarette will be reduced from 20mg to 15mg while nicotine levels will be cut from 1.5mg to 1.3mg.
thestar.com.my
"It will be done in stages. We target to reduce this content by 50 per cent," he said. For example, the tar level of 20mg would be reduced to 10mg, he said, explaining how the content would be reduced by half.
nst.com.my
"It will take some time but we have to start somewhere and it will be done by the end of the year. The ministry will have to gazette the regulation. There is a process to go through," he said.
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He said this will be among the steps in phase two of the ministry’s anti-smoking drive from January next year till June 2015.
Anti-smoking pictures of cigarette packs might be made larger to cover 50% of the pack
Dr Subramaniam said the other steps included having the size of anti-smoking pictures on cigarette packs increased from 40 per cent (on the face of the pack) now to 50 per cent.
Anti-smoking pictures of cigarette packs might be made larger to cover 50% of the pack
Image via dailymuscle.comHe said all the steps would be implemented gradually and that the ministry would also block direct and indirect promotion of cigarettes besides prohibiting offering of discounts for tobacco products.
Cigarette companies to register their cigarette brands
Liow said the ministry had also instructed tobacco companies to register their cigarette brands to ensure that they would meet the World Health Organisation’s tar and nicotine standards.
abnxcess.com
Read also: British American Tobacco increased its cigarette price by 3% on June 3rd
Effective today (3rd June 2013), prices of British American Tobacco (BAT) cigarettes will be increased by 3%. For your convenience, here is a list of all the new cigarette prices, complete with vintage ads from the old times.
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