No More Duty-Free Cigarettes to Hong Kong
Even though smokers blame ban on duty-free cigs. The Hong Kong government approved a new legislation which banned duty-free cigarettes brought into the city of 7 million.
Now people coming in Hong Kong from China are defined to bringing even three packets of 20 cigarettes.
The new anti-smoking ban on duty-free tobacco will come into effect by the end of 2010. This move will carry Hong Kong in line with other countries and territories to stop duty-free daily allowances on tobacco, including Singapore, Barbados, Nepal and New Zealand.
Researchers explained that incoming passengers would be permitted to carry only 19 or fewer cigarettes when they arrived in Hong Kong. Only anti-smoking researchers and Hong Kong government think that in this way they will protect the health of state inhabitants.
Anti-smoking groups desired the new move. However they said they would have preferred an increase in duty. At present Hong Kong has one of the lowest cigarette tax levels in the world.
For example buying 1,000 cigarettes of one brand in Hong Kong costs just 217 US dollars compared to 409 US dollars and 503 US dollars in New York and London of course.
Hong Kong government decided to ban duty-free cigarettes because sales of cigarettes in duty-free shops at the border, ports and airport have increased. According to a recent study, last year 400 million cigarettes were sold in duty-free shops in the city, up from 360 million in 2008 and 370 million in 2007.
Anti-smoking groups accepted the new move however almost of smoker declared that even this new legislation will not motivate them to quit.
One smoker, Lee Mer, declared that this new policy is a new destruction of smokers’ rights. She said: “Three packs are not many. A lot of us can smoke three packs a day.”
Researchers concluded that the efficiency of this measure would be seen by the number of smokers who quit.
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