The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy calls for an increase in excise duties on cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The enforcement of the open display ban of cigarettes, vape and e-cigarettes embedded under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 also needs to be carried out.
The upcoming Budget 2026 should include an increase in excise duties on cigarettes and other tobacco products. Increasing the excise tax rate on cigarettes to at least RM0.77 per stick, equivalent to 61 per cent excise tax of the retail price, would generate an additional tax revenue of RM771.8 million.
Astonishingly and contrary to global trends, these taxes have remained unchanged since 2015.
Malaysia spends an estimated RM16 billion annually treating smoking-related illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. For every RM1 collected from tobacco excise duties, RM4 is spent on treating smoking-related diseases. We do not yet know how much will be spent on treating vape related diseases.
The current rate is currently at 42.8 per cent. Increasing the duties to meet World Health Organization recommendations at 75 per cent, would raise at least RM1 billion more in revenue, potentially bringing it to more than RM5 billion collected from tobacco excise duties.
Malaysia must also be firm on the threat posed by nicotine vape and e-cigarettes, now rapidly replacing cigarette smoking among young people and teenagers.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) Adolescent Health Survey 2022 revealed that there has been a decline in the reported rate of smoking among teenagers and adolescents.
However, the same report indicated a significant increase in the prevalence of e-cigarette and vape use among this group of people. The rates of adolescents vaping between the ages of 11 and 18 in Malaysia now exceeds those reported in several countries, including the United States.
Despite a ban on open retail display of cigarettes, vape and e-cigarettes embedded in the regulations for the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, it has yet to be enforced.
This was supposed to be in effect from April 1, 2025. Unfortunately, the government delayed its enforcement to October. The effect of this delay can be seen in the continued open retail sales of these products as if the regulations don’t exist.
Smokers themselves support the imposition of the regulation. Evidence from studies have shown that widespread presence of cigarette displays at the point of sale increases the likelihood that youth will start smoking and stimulate impulse purchasing among existing smokers.
Experience from countries such as Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Australia with the display ban in place have shown that it works to reduce smoking initiation which is common during adolescents.
Azrul Mohd Khalib is chief executive of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
