Ghafoor: Situation so dire that smoking is prioritized over filling hunger

Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa has emphasized the severity of tobacco consumption in the Maldives, citing people cannot live without buying cigarettes even if it is at the expense of their hunger.

While debating on the bill to amend the Tobacco Control Act at Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting, Ghafoor emphasized adverse impacts on health due to smoking as an undebated truth.

Nevertheless, he raised the question as to whether increasing the duty levied on tobacco products for the purpose of discouraging smoking is a burden that the public can bear.

“Honorable speaker, the situation today is being unable to live without buying cigarettes even if there is no food at home. That is the situation. Thus, we have to make a decision after considering what a price hike will do when the situation is at this point,” he said.

Ghafoor stressed he was not against increasing the duty levied on cigarettes but was against increasing the duty to the extent presently proposed. In this regard, he said such a hike would amount to excessive use of power. ‘

“Honorable speaker, we must reconsider what will happen nation when an unbearable price is tagged while the situation is this severe,” he added, while pointing out that 40 percent of people of the age of 18 in the Maldives are smokers.

He again reiterated that the hike should not be implemented even if it is for the sake of boosting revenue earned by the state as vape and cigarette businesses in the Maldives are widescale businesses conducted with the investment of many people.

He questioned as to whether the businesses would be compensated in light of the government’s decision.

Ghafoor also noted that many tourists arriving in the Maldives use vapes and in this trajectory, questioned the course of action for tourists if vaping is banned in the nation.

He also claimed that governments, to date, have failed to properly convey the dangers of smoking and vaping despite the uptick of people smoking cigarettes and using vapes on a day-to-day basis.

He repeatedly called to ensure the price of cigarettes when raised, are reasonable prices for the public.

The government targets to amend the Export/Import Act to increase the specific rate of import duty on cigarettes and beedi from MVR 3 to MVR 8 and increase ad valorem tax on cigarettes and beedi by 50 percent.