Illegal trade under scrutiny

The government of Afghanistan has formed a multi-departmental committee to prepare a plan to curb the illegal trade in tobacco, according to a story by Lailuma Noori for the Kabul Times, relayed by the TMA.

The committee comprises officials from the ministries of public health, interior, education and finance.

It has been set up because the black market in tobacco causes losses to government revenues.

In an opinion piece in the Times, the author urged the government to boost its revenues and curtail tobacco use by increasing taxes on imported tobacco products by 50 percent.

The author called also for measures to heighten awareness about the health effects of tobacco products.