langkawi magazine
Archives SECTION
Malaysia Plans To Ban Sale of Duty-Free Cigarettes
There may be no more tax-free cigarettes sold at duty-free shops in Malaysia as part of the government's efforts to snuff out the smoking habit, the health authorities say. Cigarettes sold at duty-free shops are more than 40 per cent cheaper than those sold elsewhere.
When the government recently increased the duty on all tobacco products, many operators of duty-free shops in Langkawi expected more Malaysians to travel to the island to buy cigarettes.
Health Ministry Disease Control Division deputy director Dr Abdul Rasid Kasri said yesterday that the move was to ensure that there was no source of cheap cigarettes in the country.
He said the new regulations, if approved, would ban the sale of all tax-free tobacco products at international airports and duty-free zones in the country, including Langkawi, Bukit Kayu Hitam and Tioman.
Dr Abdul Rasid said his division would soon submit the recommendations to the government to abolish all sale of tax-free and duty-free tobacco products in the country.
"We will not compromise on this but we are willing to negotiate the time-frame for implementation,' he said. He said the Health Ministry would work with the Customs Department to iron out details, adding that this move was in line with the government's Health First policy.
Dr Abdul Rasid said Malaysia had signed the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on Sept 23 last year. So far, 32 countries have signed the framework, which will come into force once 40 countries have signed.
He said that under the convention, signatory parties recognise that progressive price and tax increases on tobacco products can bring down the consumption of tobacco products significantly, especially among the young.
Ten thousand Malaysians die each year as a result of smoking and this figure is expected to triple by 2030. There are about six million smokers in the country. Last week, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said that teenagers caught smoking would be fined.
PETALING JAYA 9/10/2004
