Store stops selling cigarettes to dodge tax

CIGARETTES have been taken off the shelves by a leading supermarket chain at one of its branches in the Capital.

Sainsbury’s decided to stop selling cigarettes at its Local store in St Andrew Square in a bid to beat a new Scottish Government tax.

The public health levy will see retailers taxed on any store with a rateable value of more than £300,000 that sells both tobacco and alcohol.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s was reported as saying: “The impact of the public health levy, recently introduced by the Scottish Government, has led us to undertake a review of the sale of tobacco in our Scottish stores.

“We have removed tobacco products from our St Andrew Square store for the time being.”

It is not known whether the decision to stop selling tobacco will be extended to other Sainsbury’s stores in the Capital.

Imperial Tobacco said that tobacco was “a vitally important category for retailers”.