Fags duty rise by 40%

Good news came out of the Malaysia 2005 budget report. Duties on ciggies are set to rise by 40%!!!

Why is it good news? Because prices of a pack of fags in Malaysia is dirt cheap. A pack of 20 usually costs around RM4-RM5 which equals to less than a British pound! For comparison on the UK the price of a pack of Dunhill costs roughly £4-£5.

Hopefully this would force people to give up or atleast cut back on smoking. I don't smoke so I don't really care but I do know people who do. Cronic smokers not only in KL but also in London and Paris are quire irresponsible in their smoking habit where they like to huff and puff at non-smokers.

Now I pray that the Malaysian government would next implement law to introduce mandatory non-smoking sections in public places such as restaurants.

Another good news came in the form of tax relief for book purchases. The previous limit of RM500 has been increased to RM700.