President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that he does not wish to generate state revenue from tobacco tax.

Speaking at a ceremony held at the President's Office today to ratify the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act banning tobacco use for all those born on or after January 1, 2007, the President said he would prefer if no tobacco products were imported into the Maldives at all.

"We don't intend to generate revenue from this sector. If anything is received from this sector, we have decided to spend it on improving public health. We have decided to spend on improving the public health situation. If anything is received, it will be spent on awareness programs and overall development of the health sector," the President said.

He said that as long as the import of tobacco products is not completely banned, the duty collected from those who import these products must be included in the budget. He added that the failure to implement a generation ban in another country is not a reason to compare that country with the Maldives, and that a "unique" solution can be found for the Maldives.