Daily Times

Islamabad: Cigarettes manufacturers continue flouting health ministry laws regarding cigarettes advertisement and promotion. Local manufacturers are offering cash prizes and other schemes to attract customers, which is a clear violation of regulatory directives of the Ministry of Health.

According to details, as per the Tobacco Advertisement Guidelines 2009, tobacco advertising is completely banned and cigarette manufacturing companies cannot offer cash prizes, incentives or gifts to enhance sale. These companies can also not use images of animals and humans on cigarette packs.

However, local manufacturers are continuously violating the regulations and offering different prize schemes that include motorcycles, umra tickets, and free cigarette packs on buying of five cigarettes packs.

According to the SRO of tobacco advertisement guidelines, offering incentives like free cigarette samples and other such discounts are not allowed.

Relevant government health departments have failed to implement tobacco-related laws and regulations, while, on the other hand, local cigarettes manufacturing companies, some of which are owned by sitting Parliamentarians are continuing efforts to increase tobacco use among the youth by illegal promotional activities.

These local manufacturers are not only violating advertising guidelines but are also evading billions of rupees due to non-payment of taxes. Statistics suggest that illicit tobacco trade in Pakistan has risen to an alarming extent to dent the legal tobacco industry. Resultantly, the pervasive tobacco black market is causing an annual loss of an estimated Rs40 billion to the national exchequer. Tax evasion allows local companies operating in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to offer incentives as their cost of manufacturing does not include minimum taxes. Shopkeepers in major markets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are openly selling illegal cigarette packs, with a price of around Rs15 to Rs35, which is far below the minimum price notified for a 20-cigarettes pack (Rs.48).

Published in Daily Times, May 31^st 2018.