Number of smokers continues to rise

DESPITE higher prices and scary scientific studies showing that smoking often leads to cancer, the number of smokers continues to rise globally, according to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which advocates against smoking.

“Tobacco use is a deadly addiction that kills six million people annually. Tobacco tax, particularly when tied to inflation, provides a unique win-win for governments. Tobacco tax is the strongest measure a country can take to reduce tobacco-caused deaths and diseases while raising significant [and] much-needed revenue. Dedicating a portion of these revenues to health care and alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers would be an additional step toward protecting the Philippines from tobacco’s harms. We applaud the commitment of Filipino leaders to support strong tobacco prevention policy,” said Cynthia Lewis, the senior program officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The House of Representatives is currently holding hearings on a government-backed measure that seeks to impose a unitary tax on tobacco and alcohol products.

The bill aims to change the current multi-tiered system that taxes tobacco brands registered after 1996 higher than the old brands because of the price classification freeze.

“This system of taxation allows for affordable cigarettes in the country. The Philippines has one of the lowest cigarettes prices in Asia, with a tax burden of only 24 percent to 53 percent, which is a far cry from the 70 percent WHO [World Health Organization] standard. If we increase the prices, the population, particularly children, will be discouraged from purchasing cigarettes. Lower tobacco consumption would decrease the burden of non-communicable diseases [NCDs] in the country, with it being the leading preventable risk factor for NCDs.

This would save our country from spending an estimated P218 to P461 billion due to health care and productivity losses,” said lawyer Irene Reyes, the managing director of HealthJustice.

“Low cigarette prices give rise to high consumption and prevalence of deaths and diseases. The need to reform the current excise tax system is most immediate now more than ever. Every hour, 10 Filipinos die because of tobacco. We need to protect our people from tobacco,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, the project director of the Southeast Asia Initiative on Tobacco Taxation. –SAMMY MARTIN REPORTER, Manila Times