Malaysia: Council Calls For New Tobacco Control Act

Source from:  BERNAMA (Malaysian National News Agency) (my)  10/17/2013

The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control has asked the government to enact a new Tobacco Control Act to address several weaknesses in the existing Act particularly to address the sale of smuggled cigarettes through licensed dealers.

Council Deputy President Dr Mymoon Alias said the new Act would also curb the practice of selling cigarettes to underage childen, control cigarette advertisements and promotions.

She said the council supported the government's move to raise the tax for cigarettes as cigarette companies have been reaping good profits without additional taxes over the past three years.

Mymoon, however, said the current tax rate on cigarettee companies did not achieve the objective with regard to price, tax, tobacco control and proceeds from tobacco products sales.

She said the statement by the tobacco industry that increasing the tax and price of cigarettes would only give rise to smuggling activities was merely an argument to protect the industry's lucrative profit.

"Besides outlining the measures for tax and tobacco control, the Conference of the Parties has accepted the protocol to ban the illegal sale of tobacco products. The protocol is to be endorsed by member countries so that the legislation can be implemented at national level," she said.

Mymoon said the protocol outlined the specific actions to be taken by member states to wipe out illegal trading of tobacco products.

"Towards this end, the council supported Malaysia's move to endorse the protocol and start enforcement actions by enforcement agencies through the cooperation of neighbouring nations," she added. Enditem