President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the duty charged on tobacco products will not be reduced.

At a press conference held today at the President's Office, the President said that no changes will be made to the policies introduced by this administration regarding tobacco products.

The President stated that to protect the health of Maldivian citizens, the government's policy is to establish a holistic health system. In this regard, he noted that distancing citizens from various tobacco-related habits is a vital component of preventive healthcare.

The President said that measures taken to stop tobacco use are constantly being reviewed, and the extent to which these measures are achieving their objectives is also being monitored.

"For example, we monitor whether citizens turn to harmful alternatives when tobacco prices are increased. Harmful alternatives would be, for instance, unfiltered cheroots (bidi) or other ways tobacco consumption occurs. If that happens, we look to see if the objective we want is being achieved," the President said.

He noted that such discussions are always ongoing and are part of the efforts to further strengthen existing policies. He added that once ways to strengthen these policies are identified, they will be shared, and confirmed that there is currently no work being done to reduce the duty charged on cigarettes.