Price rises likely to greet smokers early next year

Moroccan smokers might have to pay more than they do now for their favorite cigarettes from January 1, according to a Morocco World News story quoting the December 5 issue of the business weekly, La Vie Eco.

La Vie Eco reported that a request had been submitted to the Prices and Competition Commission of the Ministry of General Affairs by the local subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco [Altadis Maroc] to increase the price of a pack of Marquise, the most popular brand in Morocco, by 50 cents.

At the same time, Philip Morris International had submitted a request to increase the price of a pack of Marlboro, the second most popular brand in Morocco, by 1 dirham.

The proposed increases were said to have been prompted by a new tax that had been imposed on manufactured tobacco.

The business weekly went on to say that PMI and British American Tobacco were planning to reintroduce a number of brands to the Moroccan market, including Philip Morris, at 20 dirham per pack, and, in the case of BAT, Lucky Strike, at 22 dirham.