Tobacco Prices May Increase

Source from:  tobaccojournal.com 29 May 2008 06/03/2008

Tobacco prices in the UAE are set to double every two years under a new proposal by the ministry of health in an attempt to curb teen consumption. Dr Wedad Al Maidour, head of the UAE Tobacco Control Committee, said she was submitting a proposal to the Ministry of Economy to double current prices. She said doubling prices would reduce tobacco consumption, especially among teenagers. Cigarette prices in the UAE range from AED 4 (EUR 0.70) to AED 7 (EUR 1.23) per pack. Continuously increasing the prices will also ensure smokers find it hard to adjust their budget to support their habit. In the meantime, the ministry plans to do a study on smoking rates each time the price increases to monitor its success. The tobacco price increase, if implemented, would be a domestic regulation, separate from the 100 per cent GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) import tax for tobacco products. The extra money will be funnelled to the government, which would use part or all of it to conduct health campaigns and assist smoking cessation programmes. Wedad said the government might stop increasing prices once they established a reduction in smoking rates. The UAE is a signatory to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). Enditem