Algerians Consumed 27 Billion Cigarettes during a year

Companies of manufacturing and marketing tobacco in Algeria fear the Ministry of Finance will apply tax charges suddenly and widely, which would affects the prices at a first degree, and on the same outlawed products that are banned in public places in the developed countries, and which are exposed to severe control by the governments of three countries which are, Canada, Turkey and Australia, bu virtue of the bad health consequences due to the consumption of tobacco.

Companies of marketing tobacco link the process of imposing high tax, with the spread and popularity of the phenomenon of smuggling cigarettes illegally across the borders, under the pretext that raising the fees results in higher prices, which makes the pushed the consumer to consume fake cigarettes and products at low prices, without taking into account the damages that are caused by brands of unknown source. ‬

Representative of the British American Tobacco – Algeria, Faisal Khalef, said during a press conference on Monday evening, that the last review of tax charges in Algeria was in 2011, with an increase of 2 dinars per box, adding that Algeria gets one billion dollars on taxes of 27 billion cigarettes, including 7% on illegal smuggled cigarettes, noting that ‭Europe counted 12% illegal cigarettes, and the legal tobacco trade noticed a significant decline thanks to the power of associations which call upon people to give up smoking‭. ‬

The spokesman expected an increase in smuggling tobacco with the increase of fees that are imposed on illegal cigarettes, which attract the consumers to cheaper products, explaining that illegal cigarettes that are sold in global markets, are ranging between 330 and 660 billion cigarettes each year, representing a rate of 6 to 12% of the volume of global cigarettes’ trade, ‭as losses reach over 20 to ‭40 billion dollars due to the lack of local tax collection on the cigarettes due to smuggling‭. ‬