PUTRAJAYA – The 15% import duty imposed on nicotine gum products should be lowered, or total exemption provided, as the products help smokers to quit smoking, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said the ministry currently receives many complaints from pharmacies which bring in nicotine gum products regarding the introduction of the import duty and would raise the issue with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and the treasury.
Last Monday, a media portal reported that the Customs Department would be imposing a 15% import duty on every kilogramme of nicotine gum effective June 1. Nicotine gum products are medical products used by smokers to help them to quit smoking.
In a related development, 28,835 premises were inspected during the enforcement of smoking bans at public places from early January till March 15, Khairy said in a media conference after officiating the mQuit Mosques Quit Smoking Service programme here today.
As of April 6, the ministry has issued 13,437 notices under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 for smoking in banned areas and underaged smoking, he said.
On the mQUIT mosques programme, Khairy said it had started on April 8 and will be continued every Friday in the following months at 12 selected mosques, including the National Mosque, the Federal Territory Mosque in Kuala Lumpur as well as Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque and Putra Mosque here.
Currently, 41 participants have signed up for the programme and although the number might be low, Khairy said it was a positive sign as it showed there were still people who came to the mosque and were interested in quitting smoking. – Bernama, April 25, 2022
