A collaborative study led by health organizations including Johns Hopkins and the American Cancer Society proposes raising Malaysia’s average retail cigarette price from MYR 17.40 ($4.11) to MYR 31.74 ($7.50) per pack—an over 80% increase—by implementing a 159% excise tax hike. The goal is to reduce adult smoking prevalence from ~18.2% to the national target of 15%.
The proposal is estimated to generate roughly MYR 2.6 billion ($615mn) in annual tax revenue, while also addressing stagnating affordability since 2014 despite already high tax levels (~75% of retail price). The study builds on WHO recommendations for structured adjustments tied to GDP and inflation.
