Botswana's tobacco sector says the Tobacco Control Bill, which has been passed by Parliament and is now awaiting the country’s president's stamp of approval, will have sweeping socio-economic impacts that will bring the sector to a near collapse.
The proposed law calls for cigarettes to be sold only in packets of 20. “Due to the level of support … the loss of sales to customers buying single cigarettes will decimate this sector,” noted one informal trader.
The sector has maintained the Ministry of Health has not consulted them on the Bill, reports the Botswana Guardian. “… extreme regulation is not a solution, it only brings about unintended consequence like … unregulated counterfeits and exacerbates illicit trade in tobacco products. We still request for an impartial and independent regulatory impact assessment study as this is the only solution to balanced regulations”, stated Mdu Lokotfwako, British American Tobacco (BAT) Botswana head: legal and external affairs.
BAT Botswana is the biggest tobacco company in the country, selling more than 300 million sticks annually and contributing millions in taxes to the government of Botswana. The company has maintained that the Bill, in its current form, will put many informal traders on the edge, due to proposed tough trading requirements for those who trade in tobacco.
Botswana Guardian article – Tobacco traders appeal for the President's mercy (Open access)
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