The Maldives is advancing a series of tobacco policy changes, with a parliamentary committee approving a bill to reduce cigarette import duties while President Mohamed Muizzu announced plans for a nationwide tobacco cessation program. The cigarette duty bill passed the Committee of the Whole House without amendments and now moves to the next stage of the legislative process after lawmakers unanimously declined to propose any changes, despite debate over the government’s rationale for lowering the tax following the country’s ban on vaping products.
Separately, Muizzu said the government will launch a national cessation initiative through civil society organizations, with funding and incentives linked to their success in helping people quit tobacco. He also said import duties on smoking cessation products will be eliminated once the program begins to make them more affordable, adding that the proposed reduction in cigarette duties is part of a broader tobacco control strategy aligned with recommendations from the World Health Organization.
