Prices of nearly all BAT Kenya cigarettes have been raised by up to KES 15 (USD 0.15) per pack following a tax increase late last year, reports the Business Daily.

The Finance Act 2019, which came into effect last November, saw the excise duty on cigarettes raised to 14.1 per cent. BAT Kenya is now passing on this increased tax burden to its customers, according to the Business Daily.
The tax levy per one thousand sticks of filtered cigarettes went up from KES 2,765 (USD 27) to KES 3,157 (USD 30.8) whereas the tax on unfiltered cigarettes was raised from KES 1,990 (USD 19.45) to KES 2,272 (USD 22.2) per one thousand sticks. The higher taxes have led to cigarettes made in Kenya becoming more expensive and, at the same time, has encouraged smuggling of cheap products from neighbouring countries.
Both Sportsman King Size and Rothmans Blue have gone from retailing at KES 175 (USD 1.71) per pack to a new proposed sales price of KES 190 (USD 1.86) with BAT saying that these prices only act as a first guideline and the final shop prices may be even higher.
The price changes come after BAT reported a 25.5 per cent rise in net earnings in its 2019 half-year to KES 2.53 billion (USD 24.7 million) and a gross revenue up 10 per cent to KES 19.2 billion (USD 187.6 million), according to the Business Daily.