CAP calls for higher cigarette tax to curb smoking among youths

The finance ministry has been urged to consider raising the cigarette sales tax in the 2027 budget proposal, according to the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP). The call comes as the association aims to curb the growing smoking habit among youths. NV Subbarow, CAP's senior education officer, pointed to statistics from the health ministry showing that 43,019 secondary school students and 341 primary school students had taken up smoking.

These students reportedly spent nearly RM700 monthly on cigarettes, which contain thousands of harmful chemicals. Subbarow argued that higher prices make tobacco products less affordable, reducing overall consumption and encouraging users to quit or cut down. He also noted that increasing the sales tax would make it harder for teenagers and young people to start smoking.

Subbarow believes the time is right for a mandatory cigarette sales tax. An increase in the tax would save the government an average of RM16 billion annually in treating smoking-related diseases, he added. The World Health Organization recommends price and tax measures as an effective way to reduce tobacco use; this approach has proven successful in many countries.

The 2027 budget is expected to be presented by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who serves as the finance minister, on October 9. Last November, the government raised the cigarette tax by two sen per stick, the first increase since September 2014, when the tax went up from 28 sen to 40 sen per stick.