CAP calls for higher cigarette tax in 2027 Budget

GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the government to raise cigarette sales tax in 2027 Budget to curb smoking among young people.

CAP senior education officer and anti-smoking activist N. V. Subbarow said the measure was needed amid concerns over smoking among secondary and primary school students.

He said new statistics showed 43,019 secondary school students and 341 primary school students were smoking cigarettes.

"This is not good for a healthy country," he said today.

Subbarow said Malaysia already had about five million smokers and 1.5 million vapers, adding that higher cigarette prices could make tobacco products less affordable and discourage young people from taking up smoking.

"CAP feels that it is high time for a mandatory sales tax on cigarettes," he added.

He said higher cigarette prices could also encourage smokers to quit or cut down, while reducing smoking could lower government spending on treating smoking-related diseases, which he put at about RM16 billion annually.

"The prime minister, who is also finance minister, must consider the health of the future generation," he said.