From 20 October, the price of cigarettes will be increased by 20 per cent as the government has increased customs and duties on cigarettes to encourage citizens to stop smoking, Trinidad & Tobago Guardian reported.

“We will increase excise duty by 20 per cent on locally manufactured tobacco products, we will increase customs duty by 20 per cent on imported tobacco from the Common Market Origin and we will adjust the customs duty payable on tobacco products imported into Trinidad and Tobago from extra-regional sources to have it receive equal treatment to that of the common market,” Finance Minister Colm Imbert said.
Imbert further stressed that the penalties for selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, as well as all other penalties under the Liquor Licenses Act and the Tobacco Control Act will be increased by 200 per cent. These increases take effect on January 1, 2021, the report said.