Tobacco tax raise ready

The draft law that will increase tobacco tax is ready, the Economic Services Bureau director said yesterday. But Sou Tim Peng declined to say how big the update is that the government is proposing.
“We have already sent it [the draft bill] to the government and, after being discussed, I’m sure it will soon be sent to the Legislative Assembly,” he told journalists at the end of a meeting of the committee for the development of the convention and exhibition industry.
Asked whether or not implementation of the tax hike would coincide with the ban on indoor smoking, on January 1, Sou stressed that “the exact date depends on a deal between the government and the legislature”.
In Macau, the tobacco tax was last updated in 2009 and is currently at MOP 0.2 per cigarette or MOP 4 per 20-cigarette pack. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Hong Kong the tax was raised this year to HKD 35 per packet.