Tobacco.org

• Malawi: Puffing more expensive in Malawi as taxman calls 

Cigarette smoking may be chic but from Wednesday (1 Sept), smokers in the southern African country of Malawi will have to dig deeper in their pockets to maintain that life-style, as the tax authority has effected what it calls 'tax stamps' on cigarette.

In a statement published Wednesday, Lloyd Muhara, Commissioner General of the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) - Malawi's official tax collectors - said from 1 September, 2010 all manufacturers, importers and distributors of cig arettes must obtain a licence from the tax body that will indicate that they have paid duty or tax on their cigarettes. . . .

'In fact, this tax is beneficial to the manufacturers, importers and distributors as they were not able to sell to their optimum because of illegal smuggled cigarettes,' he said.

Kapoloma said the new regulations would make it illegal for anyone to be found peddling cigarettes without the MRA-issued stickers. He said this would mean from Wednesday Malawian border authorities would no longer allow entry of c igarettes without the MRA stickers.

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