A 100 per cent levy on tobacco products and energy drinks will be imposed from 10 June to help close a budget gap caused by low oil prices, the Arab News said.

Khalid Khurais, who heads the selective tax unit of the General Authority of Zakat and Tax, confirmed the levy and a 50 per cent tax on sugary drinks to a television interviewer, the Arab News said. The taxes are expected to pull in between SAR 8 billion (EUR 1.9 billion) and SAR 10 billion annually, the newspaper said on its website. Gulf Cooperation Council members previously had agreed to impose the special taxes.