Unspoken cost: New reality for Maldivian smokers, their families

In homes across the Maldives, a quiet but growing pressure is being felt. Following a sharp increase in cigarette prices, the hidden financial and emotional costs of smoking have become a heavy burden for smokers and families alike.

Aisha, a mother from Hulhumalé, has seen the impact on her family’s monthly budget. "With the price of everything else going up, his smoking has really started to squeeze us," she shared. "What was once just another monthly expense is now something that affects the family significantly; forcing us to stretch the grocery budget, or having to pay bills a little late”.

This financial strain is now a reality for thousands. For a pack-a-day smoker, the habit translates to between MVR 7,200 and MVR 8,700 a month. Annually, that figure can exceed MVR 100,000 — a staggering sum for most families, compared to a median expenditure of over 24,900 MVR a month (2019) per household.

But for the smokers themselves, it’s not as simple as just stopping. "Of course, I want to quit," says Ahmed, a 45-year-old father who asked that his real name not be used. "But after 20 years, it’s not something you can just switch off. The tax didn't take away the habit; it just took more money from me and my family."

This is the smoker's dilemma: the desire to quit clashes with the difficulty of the habit. The result is that many are not quitting. Instead, they are being pushed into a new, unregulated grey market.

"A year ago, you had to know someone to get these cheaper cigarettes," one smoker noted anonymously. "Now? They’re everywhere. It feels like a whole new business has popped up overnight. It's not right, but when the legal packs cost so much, what do people expect?"

Faced with unaffordable legal cigarettes, many smokers are now quietly turning to untaxed, illicit products to save money. These cigarettes are often sold discreetly in small shops or through private sellers.

"People think we are saving money buying the cheaper packs," another anonymous source commented. "Even if you don't know where it's from, it’s still easier on the wallet."

The intended health improvements from the tax hike are not being realised. Instead, the policy is creating significant financial distress for families and driving consumers toward a shadowy, untaxed market that provides no benefit to public revenue.

When a policy results in both a heavier financial burden on families and the rapid growth of an untaxed black market, it is time to ask a critical question: What are we doing wrong, and what can we learn from other countries that have found a better way?