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  • Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh Bans Vapes, Tightens Tobacco Laws

    Bangladesh’s interim government issued an ordinance banning e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products, significantly tightening the country’s tobacco control regime. The Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, promulgated on December 31, expands the definition of tobacco to include electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches, bringing them under a single legal framework. Smoking and the use of all tobacco products are now prohibited in all public places and on public transport, with fines raised to a maximum of Tk 2,000 ($16.40).

    The ordinance makes the production, import, export, storage, sale, and use of e-cigarettes and similar products criminal offences, punishable by up to six months’ imprisonment, fines of up to Tk 500,000 ($4,100), or both. It also introduces a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship across all media, prohibits tobacco displays at points of sale, and bans sales within 100 meters of schools, hospitals and playgrounds. Packaging rules have been tightened to require health warnings covering at least 75% of packs, while enforcement powers have been strengthened to allow license cancellations, seizures, and criminal prosecutions.

  • The Global Tobacco Industry is Solving The Wrong Problem

    The Global Tobacco Industry is Solving The Wrong Problem

    A new opinion piece, titled “The Global Tobacco Industry Is Solving the Wrong Problem,” by Zimbabwean entrepreneur Smart Chireru argues that the global tobacco industry is misdirecting its focus by optimizing branding, regulation, and distribution while ignoring a major structural inefficiency in where tobacco is processed. Chireru contends that large volumes of African flue-cured Virginia tobacco are exported unprocessed, shipped overseas for manufacturing, and then redistributed globally—an approach he describes as a legacy supply-chain flaw that adds cost, risk, and complexity without creating value.

    The article calls for a shift toward processing tobacco closer to where it is grown, citing examples from other industries that have adopted near-source manufacturing, bonded facilities, and integrated traceability. Chireru argues that modern compliance tools—such as serialization, blockchain tracking, and export-only processing—can mitigate risks often cited as barriers to origin-based manufacturing, while reducing logistics costs and working capital strain.

    Using Zimbabwe as a case study, the piece highlights the country’s combination of high-quality tobacco, skilled labor, and special economic zone frameworks as an opportunity for globally competitive processing at origin. Chireru concludes that the next competitive advantage for tobacco companies will come from supply-chain intelligence and structural efficiency, not incremental gains in marketing or tax strategy.

  • Turkiye Limits Tax Hikes on Tobacco, Fuel, Alcohol

    Turkiye Limits Tax Hikes on Tobacco, Fuel, Alcohol

    Türkiye will limit Special Consumption Tax (SCT) increases on tobacco products in the first half of 2026, applying a 7.95% hike instead of the usual adjustment tied to producer inflation, which was close to 10%. Under the presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, the per-pack excise tax on cigarettes will rise by ₺1.28 ($0.03) to ₺56.78 ($1.31). The move departs from Türkiye’s standard practice of revising tobacco taxes twice a year in line with the domestic producer price index and is intended to ease consumer price pressures.

    Tobacco remains a major source of tax revenue in Türkiye, with more than 19 million smokers spending over $16 billion annually on cigarettes. From January to November 2025, tobacco generated ₺396.4 billion ($11.1 billion) in SCT revenue, accounting for a large share of the ₺1.01 trillion ($23.2 billion) collected from fuel, tobacco, and alcohol combined. The Treasury and Finance Ministry said the moderated tax increase supports the government’s 2026 inflation targets while remaining consistent with revenue projections in the central government budget.

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina Raises Cigarette Duty

    Bosnia and Herzegovina Raises Cigarette Duty

    Cigarette prices in Bosnia and Herzegovina increased on January 1 after a higher minimum excise duty came into force under a decision by the Board of Directors of the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA). The minimum excise duty for 2026 was raised by 0.19 BAM ($0.11) per pack, setting the rate at 188.50 BAM ($113.10) per 1,000 cigarettes, or 3.77 BAM ($2.26) per pack of 20, up from 179 BAM ($107.40), or 3.58 BAM ($2.15), last year.

    The specific excise duty on cigarettes remains unchanged at 1.65 BAM ($0.99) per pack of 20. Meanwhile, excise duty on smoking tobacco has been set at 80% of the minimum cigarette excise, increasing to 150.80 BAM ($90.48) per kilogram in 2026 from 143.20 BAM ($85.92) in 2025.

    The ITA Management Board also confirmed that the compensatory interest rate for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2026, will remain unchanged at 12%.

  • Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong Proving Clean with New Tobacco Inspections

    Hong Kong authorities launched a two-week enforcement campaign after new anti-smoking regulations took effect January 1. Inspectors from the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office began checking newly designated non-smoking areas, including bans on smoking while queuing for public transport and at entrances to 18 categories of public places. The office’s head, Manny Lam, said around 120 frontline staff will conduct more frequent inspections, with 10 to 20 inspectors carrying out daily spot checks at high-traffic locations such as bus stops and building entrances.

    Under the new rules, the fixed penalty for smoking offenses has doubled to HK$3,000 ($390), although no violations were recorded on the first round of inspections. The campaign also includes public education efforts, particularly targeting tourists through hotels, tourism operators, and publicity at border control points.  Smoking is now prohibited within three meters of entrances to hospitals, government clinics, schools, residential care homes, and childcare centers, as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen tobacco control and public awareness.

  • Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam Ups Penalties for Vape, HTP Use

    Vietnam tightened restrictions on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products under the newly issued Decree 371, introducing higher fines and expanded enforcement powers. Individuals caught using e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products now face fines of VNĐ3 million to VNĐ5 million ($114 to $190), with authorities authorized to confiscate and destroy the products.


    The rules also penalize those who allow such use on premises they own or manage. Individuals providing space for e-cigarette or heated tobacco use can be fined VNĐ5 million to VNĐ10 million ($190 to $380), while organizations face penalties of up to VNĐ20 million ($761). Officials said the measures aim to strengthen oversight as alternative tobacco products spread rapidly, particularly among young people.

  • Kentucky to Issue Provisional Licenses for Tobacco Retailers

    Kentucky to Issue Provisional Licenses for Tobacco Retailers

    Kentucky will issue provisional state licenses to tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product retailers that apply for licensure with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) before Jan. 1, 2026, allowing them to continue operating while their applications are under review. The provisional licenses will expire once ABC takes action on the full license applications. An emergency regulation filed on December 29 ensures applicants are not penalized during the transition period.

    The move follows the passage of Senate Bill 100, signed into law by Gov. Andy Beshear on March 24, which created a new licensing requirement for all tobacco, nicotine, and vapor product retailers in the state. ABC expects to issue more than 4,000 licenses by the end of 2025.

    Under S.B. 100, retailers are required to obtain an annual state license and are subject to stricter oversight, including unannounced compliance checks, higher fines, and potential loss of licensure or criminal penalties for violations. ABC has launched a new online licensing system and is urging any retailers that have not yet applied to do so before the January 1 deadline, noting that no provisional licenses will be issued after that date.

  • Hong Kong Customs Seizes $3M in Untaxed Cigs

    Hong Kong Customs Seizes $3M in Untaxed Cigs

    Hong Kong Customs seized about seven million untaxed cigarettes valued at HK$31.5 million ($4.1 million), with an estimated duty potential of HK$23 million ($3 million), during a raid on an industrial building in Fo Tan on December 30. A 45-year-old local man was arrested after officers spotted him moving cartons from a unit late at night, discovering about 600,000 cigarettes on him and another 6.4 million inside the premises.

    Customs said the roughly 1,000-square-foot warehouse, formed by merging two units, contained large quantities of cigarettes and packaging materials, indicating plans to repackage and smuggle the products to overseas markets with higher tobacco taxes. Some illicit brands appeared to be stockpiled for the Christmas and New Year period. Authorities said investigations into the source and distribution network are ongoing, and further arrests are possible.

  • Morocco Raising Tobacco Prices Under New Tax Reform

    Morocco Raising Tobacco Prices Under New Tax Reform

    Morocco will increase the prices of manufactured tobacco products from January 1, 2026, under a tax reform aimed at boosting state revenues. The changes were announced in a December 30 circular from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, following a ministerial decree published in the Official Bulletin on December 29. Most cigarette brands will rise by MAD 1–2 ($0.11 – $0.22) per pack, while prices of cigars, heated tobacco and other products will also increase. The decree updates official retail prices and revises the tax base for the ad valorem component of the internal consumption tax (TIC).

    The measures are part of a phased tobacco tax reform introduced under the 2022 Finance Law for the 2022–2026 period. The government aims to generate an additional MAD 2.6 billion ($286 million) in tobacco-related tax revenue for 2026.

  • Finland Ups Taxes for Tobacco, Alcohol

    Finland Ups Taxes for Tobacco, Alcohol

    Finland will sharply raise tobacco and nicotine taxes from January 1, 2026, pushing retail prices higher as part of a broader fiscal reform. A pack of cigarettes will rise to about €11.50, with more than 90% of the price made up of tax, while nicotine pouch prices are set to jump by roughly 37%, from around €5 to €7 per container. Tobacco taxes will continue to increase at six-month intervals until mid-2027.

    The government says the measures are intended to curb consumption and boost tax revenues, alongside parallel increases in alcohol taxes. Wine, beer, and cider prices will rise by an average of 9%, reinforcing a broader public-health and revenue strategy. By contrast, modest relief is planned in other areas, including slightly lower fuel excise duties and a small VAT cut on food and medicines.

    The tobacco price hikes are among the most significant consumer impacts of Finland’s 2026 tax package, which also includes income tax cuts for higher earners and reductions in social assistance. Health fees will increase, adding further cost pressures, while officials emphasize that higher tobacco taxation remains a central tool in reducing smoking rates and funding public services.