Cigarette Tax Scorecard: Eastern Mediterranean

This Policy Brief was written based on the findings of the Cigarette Tax Scorecard. The policy brief evaluates the cigarette tax policies in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 2018, the average score in the region was 1.68 points out of 5, demonstrating that there is significant room for improvements. The overall score is an average of the following components: the cigarette price, changes in affordability, the tax share of the price, and the tax structure used. Eastern Mediterranean countries performed best in the cigarette price component, although the average score was only 1.9 points out of 5. The Eastern Mediterranean would benefit most from improving the excise tax structure on cigarettes. The average score was only 1.3 points, and no countries were using the optimal specific excise tax. Cigarette tax policies varied widely throughout the region. The top performers were Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with 3.8 points, while Iraq scored the lowest with 0 points out of 5. The policy brief further makes recommendations for governments in the region to address these challenges and improve public health while raising tax revenues. 

View the entire Cigarette Tax Scorecard here. 

Access the entire Data set with all of the country scores here.