COLOMBO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government increased the excise duty imposed on alcohol and cigarettes by 20 percent, said an official here on Tuesday.
State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that in 2021 Sri Lanka collected 249.6 billion rupees (687 million U.S. dollars) of tax (excise duty and VAT) from tobacco and alcohol products.
The state minister said the excise duty was raised to increase state revenue while discouraging alcohol and cigarette consumption.
According to Sri Lanka's national authority on tobacco and alcohol, around 40,000 Sri Lankans die each year due to alcohol and tobacco-related diseases. ■
