Rising tide of tobacco taxes in Maldives

The Maldives’ Minister for Finance, Abdulla Jihad, said on Monday that the government would propose a tax increase on tobacco products of 300 percent, according to a Haveeru Online story.

Speaking during a Budget Committee meeting, Jihad said that it was planned also to increase import duty on tobacco and other products.

The current import duty on tobacco products is 150 percent.

“We are considering increasing import duty mostly on luxury items, or items harmful to the environment or health,” Jihad was quoted as saying.