Minister: Majority against importing harmful products; duty on tobacco will be increased

Finance Minister Dr. Mohamed Shafeeg, underscoring majority of the public is against importing products that a harmful to health, has affirmed that the duty levied on products containing tobacco will be increased.

Maldives currently imports MVR 1.8 billion (USD 400 million) worth of cigarettes on an annual basis. Health Ministry has previously stressed the need to increase taxes to decrease smoking.

Speaking at Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday, Minister Shafeeg underscored that some products imported to the Maldives were harmful to health, adding the majority of the public was against importing such products.

Henceforth, the Minister said the government’s policy is to further increase the import duty levied on such products.

“Some items important to the Maldives, these items are products that harm one’s health. In reality, some people do not want to see them imported, which I would say is the majority,” he said.

“For example, items related to tobacco or items related to vaping. Although we do not ban its import, to further increase the import duty. The point is to discourage the public and citizens from products harmful to their health,” he added.

Minister Shafeeg noted that Maldives’ policy on declaring import duty referenced such matters.

World Health Organization (WHO) has previously said 150 people die in the Maldives per year, on average, from diseases directly linked to smoking. This accounts for a death every two days.

Meanwhile, 2019’s global youth tobacco survey conducted among school students shows that the percentage of students smoking had increased from 11.2 percent in 2011 to 45.7 percent in 2019.

Notably, Maldives is set to entirely drop duty allowances for conventional and flavored cigarettes, e-cigarettes, sheesha, and e-liquid starting from November which would mean they would be imported after paying the duties levies.