Prices of BAT Malaysia cigarettes to go up Wednesday

The prices of cigarettes under the British American Tobacco (BAT) brand will go up effective Wednesday, some as high as RM18, BAT Malaysia announced Tuesday night.

The cigarettes under the BAT Malaysia brand include Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall, to name a few.

Under the new prices, Shuang Xi will cost RM18 per pack, Lucky Strike Plain will cost RM17.50, the Dunhill range, Benson and Hedges and Kent will cost RM17 per pack whereas Pall Mall and Peter Stuyvesant will cost RM15.50.

In a statement, BAT Malaysia said the price hike was in response to an increase by the government on cigarette excise by more than 40 percent.

In the statement, BAT expressed "extreme disappointment and shock" and claimed the increase in cigarette excise, effective Nov 3, was “unprecedented”.

"The tobacco industry has already been hit by a huge 12 percent increase in cigarette excise just a year ago on Nov 1.

"This was followed by the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax at six percent beginning April 1 this year," said BAT Malaysia managing director Stefano Clini.

He said the price hike will definitely fuel further an already high level of illegal cigarettes, where one in three packs is illegal.