Financial Tribune - The government earned 2.5 trillion rials ($20.66 million) from cigarette tax in the first four months of the current fiscal year (March 21-July 22).

The figure indicates a rise of 42.9% compared with the same period of last year, the latest data released by the Central Bank of Iran showed. Revenues from cigarette tax, which is a subcategory of tax on goods and services of indirect taxes, were estimated to hover around 1.8 trillion rials ($14.87 million) in the four-month period as per the budget law.

Projection for the whole year is at 5.3 trillion rials ($43.8 million). Iranians consume close to 55 billion cigarettes per year.