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Malaysia raises excise on cigarettes by more than 40%

Brewers and gaming companies also expect similar rises in sin tax as Putrajaya goes on hunt for ways to shave country's fiscal deficit

Published Wed, Nov 4, 2015 · 09:50 PM

Tobacco

Kuala Lumpur

BREWERS and gaming companies are pondering the hand they will be dealt, following Malaysia's more than 40 per cent hike in excise tax on cigarette manufacturers.

The tax kicks in on Monday.

Bursa Malaysia-listed British American Tobacco (BAT), which described the excise increase as "massive and unprecedented", shed RM1.48 (48 Singapore cents) or 2.4 per cent on Wednesday, as investors expected volume sales of cigarettes to be hit.

The company raised its cigarette prices on Wednesday by RM3.20 for a pack of 20 smokes, bringing the price for a p…

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