PMPKL Calls for Immediate Action Against Illicit Cigarette Sector

Staff Report

Philip Morris Pakistan Limited (PMPKL) has underscored the urgency for immediate measures to take action against illicit cigarette sector.

It said that no tax-paid cigarettes have resulted in a loss of a level playing field and a significant decline in volumes within the legitimate tobacco sector.

In a media briefing in Islamabad to address the profound challenges gripping the tax-paid cigarette industry in Pakistan, the Head of Communications at PMPKL Andleeb Uroos Ahmed, highlighted an alarming 86% decrease in total income for the fiscal year 2023.

She also shed light on the detrimental impact of Federal Excise Duty (FED) hikes and the escalating market share of non-duty-paid illicit cigarettes in the country.

Andleeb Uroos Ahmed said that excise increases had led to a hike in the prices of tax-paid cigarettes, causing to escalate the price gap as the tax-evading sector disregards these hikes.

This scenario has provided ample opportunity for numerous local illicit cigarette manufacturers, notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K), to amass substantial market share while contributing minimally to national revenue.

Statistics unveiled during the briefing painted a stark picture of a massive surge in illegal cigarettes across Pakistan after the FED hike in February ’23, with illicit cigarettes now commanding a staggering 63% market share and causing an annual dent of approximately PKR 310 billion to the exchequer.

While acknowledging government efforts such as the introduction of tax stamps (track & trace system) to combat illicit tobacco trade, she expressed deep concerns about the lack of across-the-board enforcement, allowing the non-tax-paying industry to flourish.Experts Call for Action Against Illicit Cigarette Trade

She called for the critical need for decisive action to protect tax-paying.

Uroos stressed that just by curtailing tax evasion, FBR can potentially boost revenue collection from the tobacco sector by over 2 billion US dollars.

She said that various anti-tobacco organizations have been misguiding the government by spreading misinformation about the current and potential revenue collection from the legitimate tobacco industry, unknowingly forwarding the agenda of the illicit tobacco sector.

Uroos cautioned that the hike in taxes, coupled with inadequate enforcement, would hurt government revenue and public health objectives, as further taxes will push the consumers to move to illicit cigarettes, decreasing the market share and revenue collection from legitimate cigarette manufacturers.

She hoped concerted efforts between the industry and government could effectively tackle these challenges and ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders.