A 20-stick pack of cigarettes costs RM10 from today

[lauhunku]

Monday October 4, 2010

A 20-stick pack of cigarettes costs RM10 from today

By LEE YUK PENG, AUDREY EDWARDS and EDMUND NGO
[email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: A 20-stick pack of cigarettes now costs RM10. Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants’ Association president Lean Hing Chuan said the association received a letter from a tobacco company on Saturday informing the association of the price increase effective today. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim confirmed yesterday a 70 sen increase from the previous price of RM9.30.

Lean said the price increase would affect cigarette sales which he predicted would drop by 10%. He said cigarette smuggling activities might also increase. It is learned that there are more than 100 types of smuggled cigarettes in the market. A 20-stick pack which is smuggled only costs between RM3 and RM3.50.

Lean said cigarette smugglers could capture 35% to 37% of the cigarette market at the moment. “With the price increase, this may rise to 40%,’’ he added. He urged the Government to look into cigarette smuggling activities. Most retailers said the price adjustment this time round was the highest, as previous increases were just between 10 sen and 30 sen.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the cigarette price increase was a good opportunity for smokers to kick the habit. He added that the price increase was a key factor in helping to reduce the number of smokers in the country. Another move was working with other parties, including non-governmental organisations.

“Be firm in quitting smoking. It is not good for health.” he said yesterday. Liow added that the ministry had clinics which could help smokers quit the habit. “They can teach you the methods. And it’s free,” he added. In George Town, the Malaysia Council for Tobacco Control urged the Government to increase the prices even higher.

Council president K. Koris said the Government should add another RM1.30 on top of the 70 sen increase. “This increase will be a vital step in stopping people from smoking, and I urge the Government to announce this during the Budget speech this month,” he added.

He said research had proven that an increase in tobacco prices would reduce tobacco consumption. “The Government should also ban smoking in all air-conditioned places and enforce the anti-smoking law thoroughly,” he added. Koris said cigarette sales would likely go down by 20% to 25% if the RM1.30 increase was announced.

He has also called on the Government to ban duty-free outlets in airports and ports from selling duty-free cigarettes to Malaysians entering the country. “Malaysians who come into the country should not be allowed to buy cigarettes. They should only be allowed to buy when they are leaving the country,” he said.

 

[Ash007]

Wow so expensive now. Good thing I switched to digital.

 

[Red 2]

RM10 pack suits me fine, says researcher


Tuesday October 5, 2010

RM10 pack suits me fine, says researcher

By FARIK ZOLKEPLI
[email protected]

JOHOR BARU: For researcher Abdul Rahman Hisham, the 70-sen price increase for cigarettes is convenient — he will not need to carry extra coins. “I would always get change when I pay RM10 for a packet in the past.

“The price increase (to RM10) is just an added convenience for me,” the 27-year-old, who has been smoking for five years, said yesterday. He added that paying more for a packet of cigarettes would also contribute to the country’s economy. “In a way, I am helping the country by paying more (for cigarettes).

“I know smoking is bad for the health, and I will quit eventually, but I will do it when I am ready and not because of pressure from the Govern-ment,” he said. In Petaling Jaya, British American Tobacco Malaysia bemoaned the huge increase in excise duty on tobacco, saying the price increase would make illicit cigarettes more enticing.

Saying the excise duty had been raised by 16%, managing director William Toh added in a statement: “The greater the price discrepancy between legal and illicit cigarettes, the more attractive illicit cigarettes will become,” he said in a statement yesterday.

“The country was already at the top of the global illicit cigarettes trade list in 2009, according to a Global Tobacco Report from Goldman Sachs, and it looks like it is set to grow,” he said.

 

[E.Honda]

Deadline to apply for new cigarette retail price


Wednesday October 6, 2010

Deadline to apply for new cigarette retail price

KUALA LUMPUR: All cigarette manufacturers and importers are required to apply for the approval of the new retail price for cigarettes before this Friday. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said in a statement here yesterday that those who failed to abide by the ruling could be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed for up to two years or both.

He said the move in imposing the price requirement was a follow-up to the Government’s announcement on the tax increase of 3 sen per stick for cigarettes, which took effect on Oct 1. Following the increase, the price of cigarettes has gone up to RM10 for a packet of 20 sticks, from RM9.30 previously. Liow said the recently-imposed higher prices proved the Government’s commitment to reduce consumers’ affordability for cigarettes, especially among children.

“Cigarettes have been confirmed to be the cause of various health problems and serious illnesses leading to death. “The young generation is advised not to start the habit of smoking because it is hazardous to health,” he said. Based on statistics, there were about three million cigarette smokers or about 11% of the country’s population, he added. — Bernama