MP to propose tax hike on alcohol and tobacco

Manama : Alcohol and tobacco should be taxed as high as 10 per cent and the revenue generated should be directed towards the growth of youth and sports clubs in the country, said parliamentarian Ghazi Al Rahma.

He said he has plans to update his earlier proposal of increasing taxes on tobacco should include alcohol products too. Additional revenues will be a boost to the sports sector, he said.  

“I believe this is something practical, and it can be done. My original suggestion was to have 10 per cent tax on tobacco products, and the revenue generated from it could be utilised for the growth of sports clubs in the Kingdom, or it could go to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for allocating it to the development of sports. My proposal now is to increase taxes on alcohol also for the benefit of sports in Bahrain.” Al Rahma told DT News.

He said he is hoping to have a ‘youth centre’ built in his constituency. “Proposal for it has already been made. We are waiting for a confirmation in the new budget from the government. We already had discussions with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on the project,” he said.

The proposed centre would be the second of its kind in Bahrain. “Presently we have one at Busaiteen. The new centre will support not only sports but educational and social purposes as well. Facilities would be provided for better understanding of the needs as well as opportunities to serve them better,” he said. 

The parliamentarian on the occasion stressed the need of a thorough market research to curb the issue of “skill gap” in job market. 

“With the intention of joining a bank many are undertaking study in finance. But they will be in a tight spot when they come to know that vacancies are meagre in the field once they finish the course. On the other hand, there are a lot of jobs in the market that requires qualified people, which the students are not able to identify correctly and choose courses,” he said.

He said he could not blame the private sector or the government for that matter but needed a solution. The concerned authorities could make a research on it, he said.