EghtesadOnline: From a moral standpoint, policymakers should not prioritize the interests of powerful economic entities over public welfare. However, when it came to deciding the cigarette tax rates last week, the Iranian Parliament failed to adopt such a position.

EghtesadOnline: The government earned about 800 billion rials ($21 million) in tax revenues from cigarette sales during the first two months of the current fiscal year (March 21-May 21), the Central Bank of Iran announced.