Guilty puff gets costly Bangkok Post...lastest news
Cigarette prices will rise by 60 baht a packet under a plan to amend the tax structure of tobacco products.
The cabinet yesterday approved the move to increase taxes on cigarettes. Deputy government spokesman Watchara Kannika said ministers agreed to amend the 1966 Tobacco Act to impose excise taxes based on weight rather than declared value.
Cigarettes and tobacco products will be taxed at 90% of the declared value or three baht per gramme or cigarette, whichever is higher.
The change is intended to clamp down on the influx of cheap cigarette imports from China, some of which are valued as low as 1.6 baht a packet. Some brands can be purchased for as cheaply as three packets for 100 baht, compared with a retail price of 76 to 95 baht for leading imported brands and about 48 to 58 baht for local brands.
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Happy new year to all the dirty smelly smokers