Govt declares PM Office tobacco-free

ISLAMABAD: The government has declared the Prime Minister Office in Islamabad tobacco-free, ARY News reported.

“Tobacco smoking will be completely banned at the prime minister’s office,” the spokesperson of Prime Minister’s anti-polio and anti-smoking taskforce Babar Bin Ata said this in a statement.

The government has also decided to ban advertisement of tobacco in shops. The Ministry of Health will formally issue a notification in this regard, the PM’s spokesperson said.

The Tobacco Guidelines Committee had recommended ban on advertisement of tobacco items.

Ata said the volume of the warning picture on cigarette packet will be 60 percent from June 1.

On April 17, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had opposed the government’s decision to impose ‘sin tax’ on soft drinks and cigarettes.

Read More: FBR opposes ‘sin tax’, says will promote illegal business, smuggling

According to the FBR the sin tax will badly affect the tax revenue, the sources had said. The FBR had said imposition of sin tax on drinks and cigarettes will further increase their prices and demand for smuggled items at the same time, the sources had added.

“The industry of cigarettes and drinks gives billions of rupees taxes annually,” the sources had said.

The sources had said the ministry of health had started cogitating on alternative options. They said the ministry was mulling over increasing rate of taxes imposed on drinks and cigarettes. “Sales tax and federal excise duty will be significantly stepped up.”