RAWALPINDI: Sana Ullah Ghumman, general secretary of the Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), has said higher taxes would prevent potential tobacco users from smoking and force existing users to leave,
“Imposition of tobacco taxes is an effective policy to prevent tobacco-related diseases and deaths in children and young people”, Mr Sanaullah said in a statement on Monday
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Sana Ullah Ghumman while referring to a recent study published by PIDE, said that 60% of smokers start smoking during adolescence and some of them as young as 6 years old.
One of the reasons for starting smoking at an early age is the cheapness of cigarettes. A very few people start smoking in the 40’s, when the price goes up, young people will not be able to smoke and will not like to go for cheap brands, it will prove to be an effective way to get rid of the young men’s smoking habit.
Studies show that very few of these consumers turn to cheaper products, with only 2.6% switching to different brands or other tobacco products in response to price increases.
If the price of a stick of cigarettes is 35.80, then the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes will be equal to 716 rupees (US 4. 4.5), while the price of cigarettes due to less taxes in Pakistan is very cheap.
Mr Ghuman said that the most smokers choose to quit or reduce smoking instead of resorting to cheap products. The current WHO-suggested excise tax threshold is 70 percent as the proportion of the retail price.Therefore, he added, taxes should be increased at least to the extent that they have a significant impact on reducing cigarette use in Pakistan.
The results of the report published on PIDE prove that the availability of cheap cigarettes in Pakistan is a major cause of smoking among the youth, PANAH secretary general said the expensive cigarettes will be an effective mean for discouraging the youth from smoking
