GEORGE TOWN ( WNAM MONITORING): The government should raise tobacco taxes in Budget 2027 to make cigarettes less affordable and deter young people from taking up smoking, said the Consumers Association of Penang. Its senior education officer and anti-smoking activist N.V. Subbarow said smoking among schoolchildren remains a concern, with cases involving pupils as young as nine.
“Higher taxes would make it harder for teenagers and young people to start smoking,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Health Ministry data showed that Malaysia recorded 44,211 active smokers among secondary school students and 230 among primary school pupils in 2024, although the proportion of active smokers had declined.
The ministry’s 2024 report placed the active smoking rate at 2.36% among secondary school students and 0.01% among primary schoolchildren.
The 2023 Global Adult Tobacco Survey, meanwhile, found that about 4.8 million Malaysian adults, or 19.5% of the adult population, consume tobacco. Another 1.4 million people, or 5.8%, used e-cigarettes.
Subbarow urged the Finance Ministry to consider a further tobacco tax increase in Budget 2027.
“Higher prices make tobacco products less affordable, reducing overall consumption and encouraging users to quit or cut down.
“The prime minister, who is also Finance minister, must consider the health of future generations,” he said.
He added that smokers typically spend about RM700 a month on cigarettes.
Citing Singapore’s experience, Subbarow said higher tobacco taxes had reduced cigarette demand and smoking rates.
He also said the World Health Organisation regarded price and tax hikes as effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption, with such policies producing positive results in many countries.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 69 of which could cause cancer.
A 2021 study by researchers from the Health Ministry Institute for Clinical Research estimated that tobacco smoking accounted for 14.3% of Malaysia’s cancer incidence in 2018, equivalent to about 5,485 cases.
Subbarow said cigarette excise duty was last raised by two sen per stick on Nov 1, 2025, bringing the rate to 42 sen per stick, or RM8.40 for a pack of 20.
Cigarettes are also subject to a 10% sales tax.
Budget 2027, the fifth Madani Budget, will be tabled in Parliament on Oct 9.
The Finance Ministry has invited public and stakeholder feedback through its pre-budget statement.
