ISLAMABAD: Health advocates stressed the critical need for raising tobacco taxes specifically targeting cigarettes to curb smoking and finance vital public services including healthcare.

Talking to media on Thursday, Malik Imran Ahmed, the Country Head of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), said that the policymakers can effectively curtail tobacco consumption by annual increments in cigarette taxes and making them less affordable over time.

He emphasized the pivotal role of high cigarette taxes to deter smoking, particularly among the youth and individuals with lower incomes.

Ahmed also shed light on the staggering economic toll of smoking in Pakistan, which amounts to Rs615.07 billion (US$3.85 billion), equivalent to 1.6% of the country’s GDP. The economic cost of smoking surpasses the revenues generated by the tobacco industry, he added.

He referred to data from an international survey revealing that the aggregate annual economic costs attributable to smoking-related diseases and deaths, along with those associated with the three primary non-communicable diseases, collectively amount to 1.6% and 1.15% of Pakistan’s GDP, respectively.

This concerning pattern highlights the immediate requirement to implement yearly increments in cigarette taxes. This step is crucial to alleviate the pressure on Pakistan’s GDP, demanding swift action from the government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024