Experts call out tobacco industry’s tax evasion tactics on World No Tobacco Day

ISLAMABAD, May 30 (APP):Experts from leading policy think tanks and health advocates joined forces on Friday to spotlight the manipulation and interference of the tobacco industry in Pakistan’s tax policy—just ahead of the federal and provincial budget announcements.

The seminar titled “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Tobacco Industry Interference in Tobacco Taxation,” organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC), Karachi was held in connection with the World No Tobacco Day 2025, said a press release. The seminar served as a crucial pre-budget discussion on the dire need for effective and progressive tobacco taxation reforms, amid concerns over rising illicit trade, under-regulated nicotine products, and health policy sabotage by the tobacco lobby.