An overwhelming 97% of Malaysians want action to be taken against the tobacco black market.
The top three factors that helped to sustain the tobacco black market are corruption , high excise duties and insufficient resources for enforcement agencies to tackle the issue .According to the survey, Malaysians believe that reducing the price differential between legal and black market products and greater collaboration between law enforcement agencies are key in countering the tobacco black market.
“From the feedback we received, Malaysians are very concerned about the tobacco black market and support immediate government action to clamp down on the criminal syndicates operating within this space. This support from Malaysians stems from the desire to see the economy recovering post Covid-19.”