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Islamabad – The weak enforcement of anti-smoking law in the country has placed it among the countries where the prevalence of smoking is highest, while smoking is one of the leading causes of illness related to health, said a study. The Human Development Foundation (HDF), as part of a study conducted on tobacco control in the country, has claimed a sin tax on the tobacco industry to discourage smoking in the country. The study found that Pakistan ranked 54 out of 84 countries with the highest smoking prevalence. In Pakistan, the cost of smoking, associated with the non-communicable disease (NCD) epidemic and other tobacco-related diseases, would be in the region of Rs 4,000. 143.208 billion in 2017, according to the study.
Pakistan became a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005, under which it committed to ensuring smoke-free public places, reducing tobacco advertising and promotion. and to raise taxes and the price of tobacco. The 2002 Smoking and Non-Smoking Health Protection Ordinance includes the regulatory orders necessary to comply with the provisions of the WHO FCTC; although non-compliance in public places, including banks, universities and restaurants remains alarming.
The results of the GATS (Global Survey on Adult Smoking) 2015 are alarming and indicate that tobacco products are highly usable in Pakistan, with about 31.8% men and 5.8% women drug addicts cigarettes and other tobacco products. According to the FCTC, raising taxes on tobacco products is one of the most effective ways to reduce consumption; However, Pakistan has witnessed a series of unfortunate events in the form of resistance from the powerful tobacco industry, which has always campaigned vehemently against the adoption and implementation of implementation of the Tobacco Law in the country.
Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Federal Minister for National Health Services, recently called for coordination efforts with the Ministry of Finance to raise taxes on cigarettes as they have proven to be a major cause of NCDs (noncommunicable diseases) and the resulting deaths. In Pakistan. Speaking at the Hashoo Foundation's first-ever health festival and pledging to increase sales of tobacco products and sweetened beverages, Kiani said, "Tobacco is the leading cause of disease." related to health in Pakistan and more stringent measures must be adopted to eliminate tobacco use. the country."
A sin tax is an excise tax instrument, specifically levied on certain goods considered to be detrimental to society, and includes products such as soft drinks, coffee, sugar, fast foods and tobacco. .
According to the World Bank, excise taxes on tobacco products can not only be an effective tool for promoting public health by eliminating smoking, but they can also generate significant revenue for a country's public purse. .
If properly designed and enforced, excise taxes can simultaneously be beneficial for a country's health sector and financial sector. While excise reforms are based on policy considerations in both developing and developed countries, the authorities that are trying to implement them are generally faced with significant opposition on the part of the government. of the tobacco industry.
In Pakistan, this lobby has long sabotaged the efforts of civil society by publishing falsified studies in which it falsely claims that the illicit trade in tobacco is 40%.
This has been erroneously proved by another study by the Human Development Foundation (HDF), which reveals that the illicit tobacco trade in Pakistan is only 9%.
Sustainable Environment Zahid Shafiq, of the Foundation for Human Development, said it had now become essential to remove the third tier and abide by the rules stipulated by the FCTC. According to him, "global health statistics have revealed that every year $ 1.4 trillion is spent on fighting noncommunicable diseases caused by smoking around the world, of which about 40 percent will be paid for by developing countries like the world. Pakistan. We are calling for stronger tax reforms, with the kind of sin tax suggested by the Minister of Health. "
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