LATEST ALERTS

China Tobacco industry modernisation and supervision discussed at Beijing conference ...
Pakistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa passes excise act without tax hike on oral tobacco ...
United Arab Emirates Ajman Police launch “Your Life is Purer Without Smoking” initiative ...
Italy ADM updates list of nicotine pouches authorised for sale ...
Bulgaria Bill to ban under-age sales of herbal heated sticks heads to first vote ...
New Zealand Health minister defends HTP tax cuts, will meet quit-smoking providers ...
Philippines Bill to introduce track-and-trace stamps heads to second reading ...
Kazakhstan Order issued to change warning notices in tobacco retailers ...
Vietnam Health ministry proposes tobacco tax, which could apply to heated tobacco ...
Brazil Bill introduced to criminalise the manufacture, import and sale of heated tobacc ...
Indonesia Heated tobacco tax due to increase in 2025 ...
Georgia Possible tobacco production licence fee supported in second reading ...

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Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Asia

Global business and regulatory news covering the alternative tobacco industry

26th July 2024

Southeast Asia regulatory round-up, July 2024

25th July 2024

BAT’s numbers buoyed up by modern oral segment, with significant growth in US

23rd July 2024

PMI’s Zyn and Iqos see robust growth, despite supply issues and EU flavour ban

More News analysis

Daily regulatory updates of the tobacco alternative sector. It includes weekly podcasts and monthly compilations

26th July 2024: China: The National Tobacco Half-Year Work Conference was held in Beijing on 23rd and 24th July, press reports. In the meeting, authorities emphasised advancing the modernisation of the country’s tobacco industry and continuously strengthening the supervision of internal retail monopolies and of new, tobacco-related activities.
26th July 2024: Pakistan: The government of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has passed the Excise Act of 2024. The act did not adopt the proposal for increasing the tax on oral tobacco (naswar), press reports. Currently, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government applies a cess of PKR2.50 ($0.009) per kg to naswar/snuff.
26th July 2024: United Arab Emirates: The Ajman Police has launched an initiative called “Your Life is Purer Without Smoking” to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and to curb the illegal trade of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco.
24th July 2024: Philippines: The House Ways and Means Committee approved a substitute to bill 10329, which requires tobacco and vaping companies to implement a digital track-and-trace system to prevent illicit trade. According to the press, the new version of the bill includes novel tobacco products. All products would need to have a stamp affixed, allowing authorities to determine where and when the product was manufactured. The bill will now go to its second reading in the House of Representatives.
24th July 2024: Kazakhstan: The health minister has issued an order to change the text of the warning displayed in places where tobacco products are sold, media reports. The following notice must be displayed in places that sell tobacco products, including heated tobacco and heated tobacco devices: “The sale of tobacco products, including products with heated tobacco, hookah tobacco, hookah mixture, systems for heating tobacco, to persons under the age of twenty-one is prohibited.” The order reportedly comes into force on 30th August.
22nd July 2024: Vietnam: Following the introduction of a draft law on special consumption tax to increase the tax on tobacco products, the Ministry of Finance has proposed, according to the press, two options for the tax, which may also apply to heated tobacco and e-cigarettes if regulated. The tax would cover “other forms, other preparations from tobacco plants for smoking, inhaling, chewing, sniffing, or sucking (100 g or 100 ml)”. The first option starts with a tax of VND20,000 ($0.79) per cigarette, 100 g, or 100 ml in 2026, increasing by VND20,000 ($0.79) annually up to a maximum of VND100,000 ($3.93). The second option starts with a tax of VND50,000 ($1.97) per cigarette, 100 g, or 100 ml in 2026, increasing by VND10,000 ($0.39) annually, reaching a maximum of VND100,000. ($3.93).
22nd July 2024: Indonesia: The minister of finance has released the Macroeconomic Framework and Fiscal Policy Principles for 2025, in preparation for the State Budget 2025. In these principles, it is outlined that the excise duties applicable to tobacco products will increase in 2025, although no specific rates have been disclosed. This will entail an increase of the applicable tax on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, as they are considered tobacco products for taxation purposes.
22nd July 2024: Kazakhstan: The government has increased minimum retail prices for heated tobacco products (HTPs), media reports. The minimum retail price for HTPs is KZT820 (€1.60) as of 1st July 2024 and will increase to KZT870 (€1.70) as of 1st January 2025.
19th July 2024: Indonesia: The Indonesian Personal Vaporiser Association (APVI) has called on the government to separate regulations concerning cigarettes from the ones regulating e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), press reports. Regulations on e-cigarettes and HTPs are expected to be issued soon, according to the minister of health, following the approval of the omnibus Health Law in August 2023. The Health Law enabled the government to issue regulations on e-cigarettes and HTPs. According to the ministry’s official website, the new regulations will repeal the current tobacco framework, namely Government Regulation (PP) 109 of 2012.
18th July 2024: India: The Ministry of Health is reportedly planning to ask the Board of Control for Cricket in India to stop promoting tobacco products in Indian cricket stadiums, especially advertising that features former cricketers and Bollywood celebrities.
16th July 2024: Vietnam: The representative of the Department of Tax, Fee and Charge Policy Supervision and Management of the Ministry of Finance said at a workshop that the department has developed a draft law on a special consumption tax to increase the tax on tobacco products, press reports. The draft law was sent to ministers for comments in June. It appears to cover only conventional cigarettes and not alternative products.
16th July 2024: Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has published an awareness video on X, saying that, for public safety reasons, the use of cigarettes and tobacco or its derivatives is strictly prohibited inside metro stations and vehicles and all public transportation. Under law 10/2016, the use of tobacco or its derivatives is prohibited in public places and is punished with a fine of between QAR1,000 ($275) and QAR3,000 ($825).

Full-length in-depth reports with detailed data and analysis for individual markets around the world

4th June 2024

Insights into compatible heated tobacco hardware for the first quarter of 2024

8th November 2021

Market report: heated tobacco compatible products in South Korea

28th January 2021

Market report: heated tobacco in South Korea

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Regulatory reports

Detailed legal reports outlining industry regulation, analysis of the laws, and compliance requirements

16th July 2024

Bangladesh: heated tobacco and herbal heated product regulation, July 2024

27th May 2024

Top changes that matter in this month’s Policy Radar update, April 2024

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Pakistan: oral tobacco and nicotine pouch regulation, May 2024

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Market data outputs, statistics and forecasts in interactive and downloadable format

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Heated tobacco pricing tracker

25th July 2024

Herbal heated sticks tracker

25th July 2024

Heated tobacco compatible hardware tracker

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Regulatory data

Up-to-date information about current regulations around the world

19th July 2024

TobaccoIntelligence compliance calendar

11th July 2024

Global regulatory tracker: tobacco-free pouches, June

4th July 2024

Regulatory database: global alerts round-up, June

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