PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry is of the view that the levy of 15 per cent import duty to be imposed on nicotine gum starting June 1 this year should either be reduced or removed since the product is used in treatments to encourage people to quit smoking.
Its minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he will raise the matter with the Treasury and Customs departments.
"I have received complaints from the companies in the pharmaceutical sector over the matter.
"The ministry is of the view that the duty imposed on nicotine gum should either be reduced or exempted since it is a good product to help people end their smoking habit.
"I will raise this matter with both the Customs and Treasury departments," he told reporters here today.
A portal reported that according to the Customs Duties Order 2022 that comes into force on June 1, the Customs Department is levying a 15 per cent import duty on nicotine chewing gum.
This is although the product is used to help smokers to quit the habit.
According to the report, the Order has been gazetted by the Finance Minister.
Khairy also said the ministry would meet several agencies to intensify enforcement against contraband smoking products being smuggled into the country.
This is in line with the efforts by the government to phase out smoking among the people especially those born after the year 2005, when the bill to ban smoking and the possession of smoking products is tabled in the next Dewan Rakyat sitting in July.
"There's no point in having laws to ban smoking when there are contraband cigarettes being sold on the black market in the country.
"After the Bill is tabled and passed, we want to ensure that smoking products will no longer be sold to the younger generation and we want to eradicate the smuggling of contraband smoking products," he said.
Although the percentage of the population who smoke has dropped slightly by two per cent to 21.3 per cent in 2019 compared to 23 per cent in 2011, Khairy said the ministry would continue intensify efforts and enforcement to reduce the number of smokers in the country.
"Based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted in 2019, the prevalence of smoking was 21.3 per cent which is equivalent to some 4.9 million people. However, I believe that the actual number of smokers is higher," he said.
On a related matter, Khairy said a total of 11,133 notices for smoking related offences at eateries were issued during the first four months of the year.
The figure is half the number of notices for the same offence throughout last year.
"This reflected the efforts by the ministry's Disease Control Division to ensure compliance with the smoking ban, especially in all food premises within the government administrative centre," he said.