Abu Dhabi - Mubasher: The total value of the tobacco trade in Abu Dhabi dropped 20% or $18 million to reach $94 million from $112 million in the first nine months in 2017, Arabian Business said.

This drop comes ahead of the upcoming implementation of the excise tax, which will be imposed at 100% on tobacco products.

Moreover, tobacco re-exports decreased to $94 million in the first three quarters in 2017 from $110 million in the year-ago period. Likewise, tobacco imports dropped to $718,000 from $2.3 million in the same period, according to data released by the statistics centre on non-oil trade movement.

The UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) previously announced that will be imposing a value-added tax (VAT) or excise tax on a list of products and commodities encompassing 1,610 items, including tobacco and its derivatives.