LABUAN: Cigarettes in Sabah are cheaper than in duty-free Labuan ever since tax was imposed on its sales in Labuan by a PAS Federal Territories Minister some years back.
Labuan Member of Parliament Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman who highlighted this irony during a session of Parliament recently said:
Advertisement“Tax exemptions on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages in Labuan and other duty-free islands such as Langkawi, Pangkor and Tioman were the main reasons for drawing tourists, cars cannot be taken out as they were taxable.
“If the government faced smuggling issues due to the tax exemptions, kenapa kerana nyamuk kelambu dibakar (why burn the bed because of mosquitoes).