LATEST ALERTS
Bangladesh: The government has finalised a draft bill to amend the Tobacco Control Law, aiming to ban public smoking, prohibit e-cigarettes, and prevent tobacco
Pakistan: In an effort to reduce public spending, the Federal Cabinet has decided to wind up the Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and transfer
Philippines: The National Tobacco Administration (NTA) supports more decisive actions to combat the illegal trade of tobacco and vaping products, media reports. “The illicit tobacco
Philippines: A group of House leaders has proposed a bill to temporarily suspend the annual increase of 5% in tobacco excise taxes for
Indonesia: The Ministry of Health has said that the draft regulations potentially introducing plain packaging for all tobacco and nicotine products are still being finalised, press
Thailand: On 26th December 2024, the chairman of Thailand’s Special Committee on E-Cigarette Control, presented a comprehensive report to the Thai parliament following
India: The Delhi High Court has refused to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that seeks to ban the sale of tobacco products
Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has launched a public consultation, running until 28th January, on additional requirements for tobacco shops.
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded importers and manufacturers of vaping products and heated tobacco products (HTPs) to register for
Bangladesh: The government has announced a tax hike on several goods, including raw tobacco, to increase the national revenue collection. The National Board
Pakistan: Over the past decade, the country has lost over PKR567bn ($2bn) in tax revenue due to tobacco smuggling and illegal cigarette manufacturing.
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has confirmed a decrease in excise tax collection from 2021 to 2024 that led to a
Kazakhstan: The minimum retail price for 20 pieces of heated tobacco increased from KZT820 ($1.56) to KZT870 ($1.65) as of 1st January 2025.
Uzbekistan: At a meeting of the lower chamber of the parliament, health minister Asilbek Khudayarov announced that a bill aimed at banning the
Vietnam: As of 1st January, the sale and import of “electronic cigarettes”, including related equipment and accessories, are prohibited, according to resolution 17/TCHQ-GSQL. In
Armenia: In response to complaints about the frequent disregard for the ban on smoking and vaping in various locations, the Ministry of Health
Uzbekistan: Today, at a meeting of the lower chamber of the parliament, a bill aimed at banning the distribution of certain types of tobacco
Indonesia: The minimum retail price of heated tobacco products (HTPs) and nicotine pouches will increase from 1st January 2025, following the publication of
Armenia: According to the Tax Code, the heated tobacco tax rate will increase from AMD3,400 ($8.45) per 1,000 pieces to AMD3,750 ($9.30) per
Kyrgyzstan: According to the Tax Code, the tax rate for heated tobacco sticks of cylindrical shape will increase from KGS2,500 ($28) per 1,000
Indonesia: The Ministry of Finance has issued regulation 96 of 2024, to take effect on 1st January 2025, press reports. The regulation sets
Vietnam: The National Assembly has issued resolution 173/2024/QH15 in which it formally asks the government to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transport and use
Japan: The government is planning to raise the excise duty on heated tobacco products (HTPs) to the same rate as traditional cigarettes in April 2026,
Indonesia: Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, director of Beverages, Tobacco Products and Refreshment Materials within the Ministry of Industry, said that the draft regulations introducing
Indonesia: Former director of research policy and cooperation at the World Health Organization (WHO) Tikki Pangestu said that, in order to reduce the
India: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has introduced the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules,
Thailand: A parliamentary committee is finalising its report on measures to regulate e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in an effort to protect
India: Two members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, the ruling party), Shalini Yadav and Shehzad Poonawala, have called for stricter enforcement of anti-tobacco laws,
China: The State Council Customs Tariff Commission recently issued the Methods for Levying Customs Duties, Value-Added Tax, and Consumption Tax on Imported Goods, effective
Indonesia: Cashtry Meher, a health practitioner and member of the National Democratic Party (NasDem), which currently holds 69 seats in the parliament, has
India: The Group of Ministers (GoM) on Goods and Services Tax (GST) has proposed raising the GST on tobacco products from 28% to
Philippines: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian from the majority bloc Nationalist People’s Coalition party has filed Senate Resolution 1243, calling for an investigation into revenue
Taiwan: The application and review status for the health risk assessment of heated tobacco products (HTPs) published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW)
Vietnam: The National Assembly unanimously agreed to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco from 2025.
Global: The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the international plastics treaty is currently taking place in Busan, South Korea,
Taiwan: The application and review status for the health risk assessment of heated tobacco products (HTPs) published by the Ministry of Health and
Thailand: On 15th November, the Tobacco Authority of Thailand hosted an event welcoming Paopoom Rojanasakul, deputy minister of finance, who – along with
Indonesia: Concerns over the draft regulations setting out plain packaging requirements for tobacco and nicotine products continue to grow in Indonesia. Willy Aditya of the NasDem
Vietnam: Following yesterday’s question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health proposed a resolution to the National Assembly to ban e-cigarettes
Thailand: In a meeting today, the National Tobacco Products Control Committee agreed to propose that the government promote the “1 province, 1 hospital:
Vietnam: Today, during a question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it had agreed with
Bangladesh: The Advisory Council of Interim Government has sent the draft of amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act back
South Korea: An official from the Planning and Finance Committee in the parliament said that there is a high possibility that bills amending
Taiwan: Today, Taiwan’s Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan invited officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare
India: The Madras High Court has urged the Union government to ban oral tobacco products – specifically mentioning the snus-like Cool Lip brand
Pakistan: The Provincial Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco Control – an influential tobacco control non-government organisation (NGO), part of the Global Alliance for Tobacco
Malaysia: Health minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad has reportedly said that since 1st October 2024, the date of entry into force of the
Kuwait: The International Conference on Tobacco Control organised by the Ministry of Health has recommended that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries establish national
Iraq: Majid Shingali, head of the Health and Environment Committee of the Council of Representatives, reported to the press that the Protection Against Tobacco Damage Bill will be
