SINGAPORE: The Government will raise the excise duty on all tobacco products by 15 per cent from Tuesday (Feb 14) to discourage consumption, announced Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech.
Excise duty is levied on goods manufactured in or imported into Singapore.
Mr Wong said the increase is expected to generate about S$100 million in additional revenue per year.
The tobacco tax was last raised in 2018 when the excise duty on cigarettes and other tobacco products went up by 10 per cent.
Over the years, the Government has rolled out measures aimed at stamping out the use of tobacco. This includes mandating standardised packaging and enhanced graphic health warnings for all tobacco sold in Singapore, as well as raising the minimum legal age for smoking from 19 years in 2019 to 21 years in January 2021.
Since July last year, smoking has been prohibited at all public parks, some water sites and 10 recreational beaches.
In a parliamentary response in last year, Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon said the country’s tobacco control measures have been successful, with smoking prevalence rates decreasing from 11.8 per cent in 2017 to 10.1 per cent in 2020.