TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Maldives

  • Maldives Reduces Cigarette Duty

    Maldives Reduces Cigarette Duty

    The Maldives Parliament approved government legislation cutting the import duty on cigarettes from MVR 8 to MVR 4 ($0.52 to $0.26) per cigarette, with the bill passing unanimously on July 1 without amendments. The measure was approved by 68 MPs after advancing through the Committee of the Whole Parliament, despite earlier heated political debate over the government’s reversal of the duty increase introduced in November 2024. Government lawmakers said the reduction reflects evidence that the country’s vape ban did not lead to a significant increase in cigarette smoking and supports its broader tobacco control strategy.

    The government said the duty reduction follows recommendations from the World Health Organization and forms part of a longer-term approach to sustainable tobacco control. Officials have indicated they will continue to review cigarette duty rates based on future research while maintaining other tobacco control measures introduced in recent years.

  • Maldives to Launch Program to Move People Away from Tobacco

    Maldives to Launch Program to Move People Away from Tobacco

    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.

  • Maldives Debates Proposal to Halve Cigarette Import Duty

    Maldives Debates Proposal to Halve Cigarette Import Duty

    A proposal to cut the Maldives’ cigarette import duty from MVR 8 to MVR 4 ($0.52 to $0.26) per cigarette sparked heated debate in Parliament, highlighting divisions over the impact of tobacco taxation on public health and illicit trade. The government-backed bill would reverse a 2024 duty increase introduced after concerns that a vape ban could drive smokers toward cigarettes.

    Ruling PNC lawmakers defended the original tax hike as a public health measure, while opposition MDP members argued that higher duties have fueled cigarette smuggling and reduced customs revenues. Opposition lawmakers claimed the tax increase helped create a growing black market, with alleged state revenue losses reaching MVR 2 billion ($130 million). Supporters of the duty reduction also argued that previous tax increases failed to curb tobacco use and instead shifted demand toward illicit products.

  • Maldives Seized 23,000 Illegal Vapes Last Week

    Maldives customs authorities seized 23,008 vape cartridges over the past week in a series of enforcement operations targeting illegal imports following the country’s vaping ban. The latest seizure occurred on June 20 at Malé Commercial Harbor, where 6,328 cartridges were found hidden inside a shipment declared as general cargo. Earlier interceptions included 1,108 cartridges and 27 vaping devices concealed in food packaging, as well as separate bulk seizures of 5,600 and 15,600 cartridges from cargo inspections conducted over recent days.

    Authorities have not disclosed the origin of the shipments or identified any suspects, stating that investigations are ongoing. Under the Maldives Tobacco Control Act, which banned vaping products in December 2024, import violations carry fines of MVR 50,000 ($3,250) plus MVR 10,000 ($650) per electronic cigarette or vape product, with total penalties in this case expected to exceed MVR 230 million ($15 million).

  • Maldives Customs Seizes 2.3M Smuggled Cigarettes

    Maldives Customs Seizes 2.3M Smuggled Cigarettes

    Authorities at the Maldives Customs Service intercepted more than 2.3 million smuggled cigarette sticks during an operation at the Malé Commercial Harbor last week, uncovering over 230 cases of illicit tobacco products with an estimated street value exceeding MVR 32 million ($2.1 million). Officials did not disclose further operational details, but the seizure comes amid a noted surge in cigarette smuggling following recent hikes in tobacco import duties. The case also follows earlier incidents involving charges over the theft of a container holding previously confiscated cigarettes, underscoring growing enforcement challenges tied to the expanding black market for tobacco in the Maldives.

  • Maldives Implements First Generational Tobacco Ban

    Maldives Implements First Generational Tobacco Ban

    The Maldivian government enacted landmark amendments to its Tobacco Control Act, introducing a generational ban on tobacco use. Effective immediately, individuals born on or after January 1, 2007, are prohibited from using tobacco, and vendors are barred from selling tobacco to anyone under 21 or within the generational cutoff. Maldives becomes the world’s first nation to permanently prohibit a generation from smoking.

    The legislation also imposes a nationwide ban on electronic cigarettes and vaping products, including their use, possession, importation, and manufacture. President Mohamed Muizzu said the measures reflect his vision of fostering a “competent, morally upright, and diligent citizenry.”

  • Maldives Faces Surge in Smuggled Cigarettes and Vapes

    Maldives Faces Surge in Smuggled Cigarettes and Vapes

    The number of smuggled cigarettes in the Maldives has now surpassed legally imported, duty-paid cigarettes, Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim said today (October 27). Speaking on behalf of the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee), Nazim said that recent increases in cigarette import duties and the ban on vapes have fueled a spike in illicit trade, costing the state significant revenue.

    Nazim said that smuggled cigarettes and vapes are widely available, often sold openly through social media, and are entering the country through customs channels. He emphasized that the committee’s recommendations, if implemented, would be critical to curbing smuggling and protecting state revenue. “People’s tax money is being lost while others profit,” he said.

    The warning follows a major seizure in April when customs intercepted two containers carrying 13.6 million sticks of cigarettes disguised as plywood cargo, with an estimated value of MVR 122 million ($7.9 million). The containers remain under investigation at Maldives Ports Limited, pending referral to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

  • Maldives Warned Generational Ban Fraught with Problems

    Maldives Warned Generational Ban Fraught with Problems

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) responded to the Maldives’ proposed generational smoking ban, recognizing its public health intent but warning that prohibition without harm-reduction will likely repeat the mistakes of past tobacco control efforts. 

    The bill, submitted to Parliament in April, would prohibit tobacco sales to anyone born on or after 1 January 2007, making it the first generational smoking ban in the Asia-Pacific region. CAPHRA acknowledged the ambition behind the move, but cautioned that such prohibition, without offering safer alternatives, risks driving tobacco use underground and failing to reduce smoking rates. 

    “The Maldives’ proposal shows a willingness to try new approaches, but history tells us prohibition alone does not work,” Nancy Loucas, executive coordinator of CAPHRA, said. “When safer alternatives like vaping are banned, as in the Maldives since 2024, smokers are left with few options, and illicit markets thrive. We have seen similar outcomes in Australia and Denmark, where bans failed to reduce harm and instead fueled black markets.” 

    CAPHRA pointed to New Zealand’s abandoned generational ban and Malaysia’s stalled proposals as evidence “that such policies often create more problems than they solve.” The Maldives’ data shows a 38% increase in illicit tobacco trade since recent bans and tax hikes, while youth smoking remains high.

    “If the Maldives is serious about reducing smoking, it must look beyond age-based bans,” Loucas said. “Evidence from the UK and New Zealand demonstrates that regulated access to safer nicotine products, combined with education and support, delivers real progress. Prohibition without harm reduction simply pushes people toward unregulated and unsafe options.” 

  • Maldives Requiring Tobacco Sellers to Check IDs

    Maldives Requiring Tobacco Sellers to Check IDs

    Last year, Maldives passed laws that raised the age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, set a generational ban so that no one born after January 1, 2007, could ever buy tobacco products, and banned the import of vape products. This week, Kinbidhoo MP Ali Ashrag proposed an amendment requiring tobacco sellers to request official government identification if there is any doubt about a buyer’s age, placing extra responsibility and potential punishments on the vendor.

    The new amendment is part of the government’s plan to establish a tobacco-free generation.

    “This is a matter of national urgency, especially for a small population like Maldives,” President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said. “Those born since January 1, 2007, make up 30.1% of the current population of 411,741.”

  • Maldives’ Customs Seize 13.6M Cigarettes as Illicit Market Thrives

    Maldives’ Customs Seize 13.6M Cigarettes as Illicit Market Thrives

    Custom officials in the Maldives seized 13.6 million cigarettes at a sea cargo terminal worth MVR 122 million ($7.9 million), officials said. Inspectors found 1,360 cases of cigarettes in two 40-foot containers.

    Under the law, cigarettes must be imported with a warning message label and under a special permit, but these cigarettes lacked both. Customs did not disclose the name of the company attempting to import them.

    Officials believe the illicit cigarette market in the country is thriving. Following a doubling in import duty in the Maldives, reports said detections of Manchesters, a popular smuggled brand in the region, are being made and tax revenues have plunged suddenly.

    “High taxes and revenue losses are also encouraged by international agencies in some countries, though analysts say high taxes and economic controls of all kinds encourage disrespect for the law and corruption,” Economy Next wrote, claiming duties from cigarette imports in Maldives dropped from MVR 100 million ($6.5 million) to MVR 5 million ($325,000). “There have been some anecdotes suggesting that Maldives imports are smuggled to third countries, like Sri Lanka, through what some euphemistically call the ‘muhuda meda market’ (the market in the middle of the sea).”