The government has proposed increasing the prices of domestic and foreign-made cigarettes by 20% and 40% respectively in its budget bill for next Iranian year (starting March 21), in an attempt to reduce cigarette consumption. This is while senior Iranian lawmaker, Gholamreza Kateb, believes the policy will not have the impact desired by the government. “Past experience shows that increasing cigarette prices will only give rise to more smuggling,” he was quoted by ILNA as saying, adding: “It may even encourage the use of narcotics by those who are looking for cheap products.”
