Nihan proposes increasing duty to MVR 4 per cigarette

Majority Leader of People’s Majlis, Vili-Maafannu MP Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik had suggested doubling the currently proposed increase in import duty on cigarettes from MVR 2 to MVR 4 per cigarette.

If the amendment to Import/Export Act by the government is passed by People’s Majlis, the price of a cigarette pack will increase to MVR 90. It will also increase the price of energy drink products.

Nihan, a former smoker, said during the preliminary debate on the bill this Tuesday that the government decided to increase import duty on tobacco products and energy drinks for the “health and wellbeing of the Maldivian people”.

Nihan said a pack of cigarettes in every other country except for Maldives stood at over USD 10. He said that increasing the import duty to MVR 2 per cigarette will still keep the price of a pack at USD 6, and that the duty can be pushed higher up.

“I recommend MVR 4 per cigarette. There is no other way to stop this in our country,” he said.

MP Nihan said that he knew from personal experience just how harmful cigarettes were. He said that he was willing to vote to increase price of a cigarette pack to MVR 100 or MVR 200.

He said the government’s biggest priority was the health and wellbeing of the people of Maldives, and that it was not just a ploy to increase State income.

Its estimated increasing import duty on cigarettes will earn State MVR 200 million, and increasing import duty on energy drinks will earn State an income of MVR 9 million.

The current import duty is MVR 1.25 per cigarette.