Higher taxes will be imposed on cigarettes in the next budget, announced Asif Abbas, secretary budget for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Abbas told stakeholders at a meeting for the national consultation on tobacco control that the decision to increase taxes on cigarette manufacturers had already been taken, but the exact figure would remain confidential until the federal budget is published. "Right now, I can only say that the burden of taxes will be sizably big. It will be an extra burden running into billions of rupees," he added. He also said the minimum prices for cigarettes would be raised. Current revenue earned from the tobacco industry is about PKR 30 billion (EUR 283.2 million) annually. (pi)