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NATA wants even greater ciggie price hike

02 Sep 2022

BY Dinitha Rathnayake    The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) expressed satisfaction with the increased prices of cigarettes, but urged an even greater increase to discourage smoking. The prices of each category of cigarettes were increased by Rs. 3, Rs. 5, Rs. 10, and Rs. 15 each with effect from yesterday (1) due to the increase in Value-Added Tax (VAT). The minimum price of a cigarette, which was Rs. 55, has now increased to Rs. 60. Speaking to The Morning, NATA Chairman Dr. Samadhi Rajapaksa said that he is more than happy with the decision, but claimed that it is not enough to control tobacco. “Tax is the single most effective way of tobacco control measures but it is not enough. The Government needs to support further control. I think that a further increment is needed and Rs. 75-128 is the price that we urge.” Dr. Rajapaksa also added that the prices of cigarettes would have increased the tax formula, which would lead to an annual increase of 6% in cigarette prices. Earlier in the year, he also said: “This will reduce the ability to buy cigarettes. When this is implemented, the smoking prevalence – 9.1% among men – will drop to around 6%.” “Already, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco are prohibited. We want to stop the cross-border advertising of tobacco products too,” Rajapaksa said. The current price of “beedi”, a locally manufactured filterless cigarette, is around Rs. 8. However, speaking to The Morning, several persons claimed that they have not stopped consuming cigarettes after the increase in the price.


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