The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, approved amendments to the country’s tax code which include a 2018 29.7 per cent increase in tobacco excise duties, news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported.

Bill No. 677-d, passed at first reading, raises excises on tobacco by 29.7 per cent in 2018 and by 20 per cent in the following years to gradually increase tobacco-specific excise rates and minimum excise duty to EUR 90 (USD 105.50) per 1,000 cigarettes by 2025, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
Minimum excise duty for cigarettes in Ukraine is currently EUR 20 per 1,000 cigarettes.
The bill would increase 2018 state revenues from tobacco excises by UAH 11.74 billion (EUR 381 million), the agency reported.