Buddhika says in P’ment no smoke without fire over fags

Thursday, 5 June 2014 01:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Opposition MP Buddhika Pathirana yesterday exposed the cigarette companies by revealing their strategy used to “mislead the public justifying the self-imposed price increases” by way of “advertising false information”. According to MP Pathirana, based on the price revisions that took place in March 2012, the Government collects 71 cents and the tobacco company

receives 29 cents from each rupee by which the price of a cigarette goes up. “But the tobacco companies advertise that the price increases are sole initiations of the Government against their will. They also give the impression that it is mainly the Government that benefits from such price increases whereas the company also enjoys increased revenue,” he said seeking Finance Ministry intervention to rectify the dissemination of false information by tobacco companies. Minister of International Monetary Co-operation and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Sarath Amunugama who agreed to take action against such false advertising confirmed 4,286 million cigarettes were sold in 2010 and sales increased to 4,505 million cigarettes in 2011. “The statistics available from 2002 till 2012 show a fluctuation in cigarette sales. The cigarettes that stood at 4,505 million in 2011 has declined by 4.3% or 195 million cigarettes to settle at 4,310 million in 2012,” the Minister said in response to a question for oral answer. (AH)