Saudi authorities have imposed a complete ban on the advertisement and promotion of cigarettes and other tobacco products in foreign publications circulated throughout the kingdom, the chairman of the board of directors of the Charitable Society for Combating Smoking Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Al-Badah, confirmed to Al-Riyadh.
In 1998, the six Gulf Cooperation Council members—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—imported 25 billion cigarettes, worth over half a billion dollars. In a bid to curb consumption and boost revenues, the Gulf Arab states have decided to hike customs duties on tobacco from 30 percent in the 1980’s to 100 percent in 2000.
With a population of 22 million and one of the highest smoking rates in the world, Saudi Arabia is the largest tobacco market in the Gulf Arab region. Tobacco is not grown in Saudi Arabia and there are no production facilities for cigarette or other manufactured tobacco products. Domestic demand is thus satisfied by imports, which in 1992 reached 19 billion cigarettes. According to Arab News, the Saudi government is now considering doubling the duty on tobacco products to 200 percent.
The King Faisal Specialist Hospital has recently decided to file an 11 billion Saudi riyal ($2.9 billion) suit in Swiss and US courts for having to treat smoking-related illnesses over the last 25 years, reported the Financial Times. Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and Imperial are among the 10 international tobacco companies being taken to court. — (menareport.com)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
