Dubai: The United Arab Emirates is likely to raise tax on tobacco products and change the set of gory pictures on cigarette packs in order to curb use of tobacco in the country.
The UAE currently levies 100 per cent tax on tobacco products and talks to increase it by another 100 per cent as 'health tax' are underway.
According to a senior official from the UAE Ministry of Health, the increased taxes will be implemented soon.
The new set of pictorial health warnings for cigarette packets is also being developed, Dr Hussain Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for Health Centres and Clinics at the ministry told Khaleej Times.
Introduced in 2012, the current packaging covers 50 per cent of the cigarette packet with pictorial warnings both in Arabic and English.
An increase in excise taxes on tobacco products has already been approved by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and could be in place soon, according to Dr Al Rand.
"The GCC approved the increase in 2015 during their last meeting which will be implemented in the near future."
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