{
  "id": 7675380,
  "title": "Illicit tobacco trade costing Asia-Pacific govts US$14.85bil tax loss, says study",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/illicit-tobacco-trade-costing-asia-pacific-govts-us-14-85bil-tax-loss-7675380",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T01:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/16/illicit-tobacco-trade-costing-asia-pacific-govts-us-14-85bil-tax-loss-says-study"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Illicit tobacco trade is costing Asia-Pacific governments an estimated US$14.85 billion in foregone tax revenue, according to a new study by the Center for Market Education. Malaysia is estimated to lose US$775 million annually due to illicit tobacco trade, which exceeds the amount collected from tobacco taxation. The study highlights that tobacco tax collection amounts to US$30.98 billion, while estimated revenue lost to illicit trade reaches US$14.85 billion, indicating that for every US$100 collected through tobacco taxation, almost another US$48 is lost due to consumption outside the legal and taxable market.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Illicit tobacco trade costing Asia-Pacific govts US$14.85bil tax loss, says study",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/illicit-tobacco-trade-costing-asia-pacific-govts-us-14-85bil-tax-loss",
        "published": "2026-09-16T01:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}