Regional body annoyed by the tobacco levy

TISA says the levy eradicates trader harmonisation and hampers the free flow of goods within the SACU community. The levy is also criticised for imposing a larger burden on importers than local manufacturers, which is in contravention of the SACU agreement.

TISA CEO, Francois van der Merwe in a statement said, “This extreme, one sided measure was introduced to reduce tobacco consumption in Botswana, but potentially creates the opposite effect, which is a great concern to us.”