The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has decided to increase tariffs on imports of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes by 100 percent, in an effort to improve the health of people living in the Region.
Head of the KRG General Directorate of Customs Samal Abdulrahman told NRT Digital Media that the decision would come into effect on February 14.
“For the sake of protecting people’s lives and to reduce the health impact from cigarettes, we reached a decision that we would increase taxes on cigarettes by 100 percent,” Abdulrahman said on Sunday (January 20).
Currently, twenty-five percent from the revenue from the sale of cigarettes and alcohol goes to the KRG and five percent is spent on care for cancer patients.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region import 170 types of cigarettes from 40 countries, mostly from the UAE, Armenia, Russia, and Ukraine.
More than 90 tons of cigarettes, estimated at nearly $2 billion, were imported to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in 2018, according to statistics from the Iraqi Ministry of Trade.
(NRT Digital Media)