PARLIAMENT | An opposition lawmaker urged the government to explain its pledge to channel half of the excise duties collected from nicotine vape products to the Health Ministry, amid fresh questions over plans to exempt liquid nicotine from the Poisons List.

Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi (PN-Kuala Langat) raised the issue during the committee-stage debate on Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat today, citing RM354.51 million in excise duties collected from vape products between 2023 and mid-2026.

He questioned how the Finance Ministry had implemented its commitment under Budget 2023 to allocate 50 percent of the revenue towards improving public healthcare services, including treating smoking-related illnesses and prevention programmes.