Consumers should brace for a fresh round of price increases on alcohol, juices, cosmetics and cigarettes if a proposal by the National Treasury to raise the price of excise stamps by up to four times is approved.
The Excise Duty (Excisable Goods Management System) (Amendment) Regulations, 2023 proposes to raise the stamp fees for cosmetics from 60 cents per stamp to Sh2.50 — a margin of 317 percent — while the stamp fee for fruit juices and non-alcoholic beverages such as sodas will go up by 267 percent to Sh2.20 from 60 cents.
