Illicit cigarette trade costs Kenya Sh47bn in lost tax revenue, study finds
Originally published by News – Capital FM — Read the original article →
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 5 – Almost half of cigarettes consumed in Kenya are illicit, with the trade costing the Government an estimated Sh47 billion in lost excise duty and VAT between 2021 and 2025, according to a Kantar study commissioned by BAT Kenya.
The study estimates that illicit cigarettes accounted for 45.1 per cent of total cigarette consumption in 2025, meaning nearly one in every two cigarettes consumed in the country was illicit.
It defines illicit cigarettes as products on which applicable taxes have not been paid or which do not comply with other regulatory requirements.
