“Some 3,000 employees have lost their jobs over the last four months due to closure of some tobacco units,” the petitioner argued. The decision, the petitioner feared, would lead to a reduction in cigarette prices and increase demand. “The introduction of the third tier, which has incomplete restriction and minimum pricing, has resulted in almost 33% reduction in tax collection,” said the petitioner. “Pakistan is the only country where taxes on high saleable brands have been reduced by 33.3%,” he argued. “High prices are the only way to counter cigarette consumption in the world,” the petitioner told the court.

Source: The Express Tribune December 27, 2017 03:56 UTC