The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has urged the federal government to include shisha pots and other electric smoking devices in the new tobacco tax regime.
Okeke Anya, CISLAC’s programme manager on democratic governance, made the declaration in a visit of the tobacco taxation working group to the technical services department of federal ministry of finance.
Anya said adding shisha pots as well as other electric smoking devices into the new tobacco regime would lower its demand as well as increase revenue stream for Nigeria.
According to Anya, tobacco has a deleterious effect on the health of Nigerians, and it is classified as luxury goods which should be taxed.
“The increase in tax will also be an avenue to generate revenue for the country. This is how many countries operate because consumption of tobacco is a luxury and not a necessity,” Anya said.
He also called on the federal government to engage in a robust track and trace system that would curb illicit tobacco flow into the market.
“Nigerians will like to know which tobacco products that have paid the right kind of tax duties, know where these products are coming from and where they are heading to,” he added.
The CISLAC team hailed the ministry for influencing the 2018 specific tax regime that brought about an increase in taxes for tobacco products.
The organisation declared its support for the facilitation of a multi-ministerial engagement which will also comprise ministries such as the ministry of health, ministry of finance, and other organisations such as the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Services, and Standard Organisation of Nigeria.
