Cigarettes Tax Hike, Cambodian Young Smokers

Ayda Yurekli, an academic from the World Health Organization, told a conference in the capital yesterday that: "Increasing tobacco retail tax would deter smokers and increase government revenue," and that "Cambodia has a huge young population, and the government has to prevent them becoming smokers. There is a lot of room to increase government revenue by raising taxes.” A packet of Cambodian produced ARA cigarettes costs around one third of a US dollar. Government tax on cigarettes in Cambodia is currently 10%. Neighbouring Laos taxes smokers 15%, Thailand 85% and Vietnam 65%.