Foreign diplomats based in the USA can now enjoy a perk that is likely to leave health and wellbeing devotes fuming – tax-free tobacco.
It follows a State Department ruling to exempt cigars, cigarette and pipe tobacco from federal, state or local tax for diplomats posted in the USA.
However, this is on the proviso that the diplomats’ own countries extend the same privilege to American envoys.
The rule was introduced by the departing Bush administration on 14 January 2009, and reportedly aims to improve tax exemptions for US diplomats posted abroad, granted under diplomatic protocol.