Islamabad, May 25, 2023: Pakistan’s documented tobacco sector is grappling with a substantial decline in sales, resulting in billions of rupees in losses for the national exchequer.
Karachi, May 23, 2023 – Citizens Health Initiative (CHI), a public health organization, has responded to the misleading campaign by anti-tobacco organizations that undermines the volume and impact of illicit cigarettes.
In a bid to ensure a healthier Pakistan, health experts are calling on the government to impose increased duties and taxes on cigarettes.
In anticipation of the upcoming federal budget, foreign investors operating in Pakistan, through the Overseas Investors Chambers of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), have submitted specific proposals pertaining to the tobacco industry to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
In February 2023, Pakistan’s Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023 introduced a significant excise increase for the tobacco industry, resulting in the highest-ever excise duty on tier-1 and tier-2 cigarette brands.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) did not meet its revenue collection target from cigarette sales in April 2023, despite the sharp increase in Federal Excise Duty (FED) on the tobacco industry through the mini-budget in February this year.
On May 2, 2023, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in Pakistan revoked its earlier notification SRO 178(I)/2023, which had massively increased federal excise duty (FED) rates on cigarettes.
Despite a significant hike in taxes, Pakistan Tobacco Company announced a 38% surge in quarterly profit after tax on Tuesday.
The Pakistani government’s attempts to reduce cigarette consumption by increasing the tobacco tax rate have been unsuccessful, as the prevalence of cheaper non-duty-paid (NDP) cigarettes in the market has led to continued consumption of illegal cigarettes. As a result, an estimated 32.6 billion illegal cigarettes are consumed out of a total consumption rate of 80 […]
Sales of illicit cigarettes have surged following a massive tax hike on the legal cigarette industry, according to Philip Morris (Pakistan).