Peshawar, In a pivotal move to boost regional revenues and support public health initiatives, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to impose a provincial excise duty on tobacco. This decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Advisor Muzamil Aslam and attended by various key officials including Provincial Ministers and the Secretary of Excise.
According to Directorate General Information and PRs – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the proposed excise duty, soon to be presented for cabinet approval, aims to rectify financial discrepancies that have seen the province’s tobacco revenues benefit other regions despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa producing nearly 80% of the country’s tobacco. Finance Advisor Aslam emphasized that the revenue generated from this new duty would be specifically allocated to enhancing the health sector within the province, addressing long-standing issues of resource allocation post the eighteenth constitutional amendment.