Baku, Azerbaijan, July 8
By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:
By 2025, the price of tobacco in Georgia will rise and about 1,000 pounds of tobacco will cost 90 euros, Trend reports with reference to commersant.ge.
Akaki Zoidze, the Chairman of Georgia's Parliamentary Health Care and Social Issues Committee said that, according to the European directive, a gradual increase in the excise tax on tobacco products of all kinds is expected, which aims to reduce the harm from tobacco consumption.
“With each increase in the price of tobacco by 10 percent, the number of smokers is reduced by three to five percent. The World Health Organization (WHO) urges us to increase the excise tax on raw tobacco. The excise tax already increased on cigarettes with filter and without filter. Now, a part of the society has started use tobacco, because it is much cheaper,” said Akaki Zoidze.
Since the beginning of the year, the price for cigarettes has already been raised twice in Georgia. Price for cigarettes went up by an average of 0.5 lari in January, and by the same amount in February.
In December 2018, the Parliament of Georgia amended the Tax Code and increased the ad valorem tax on cigarettes with a filter from 10 to 30 percent of the cost of a pack.
(1 Euro = 3.14 GEL on July 8)