The import duty on cigarettes and beedies will be increased from MVR 3 to MVR 8 to discourage smoking across the nation, the Mohamed Muizzu administration has decided.

President Muizzu, posting to social media, said he would seek to implement several key actions in order to discourage smoking, which would include;

  • Increasing the specific rate of import duties on cigarettes and beedies under Chapter 24 of Article 7 of the Export Import Act
  • Raising the ad velorum rate on such goods by 50 percent
  • Strengthening the role of enforcement agencies to prevent smoking in public places
  • Launching a large-scale campaign to curb tobacco addiction and help smokers to quit entirely

Muizzu also called for public cooperation and assistance in making the Maldives a tobacco free nation.

While Muizzu has moved to increase duties without seeking to ban the import and use of cigarettes and beedies, Attorney General Ahmed Usham said the proposed legal amendments stemming from this shift will be submitted for parliamentary consideration this week.