PIMA Seeks Raise In Taxation On Cigarettes, Tobacco Bi-products

KARACHI, May. 24 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2017 ) : Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), comprising doctors from across the country, have recommended raise in the taxation rates for cigarettes and other hazardous bi- products of tobacco in the national as well as provincial budgets for 2017-2018.

PIMA President, Dr Abdul Malik in a press conference Wednesday said country with no less than 100,000 deaths caused due to smoking and oral consumption of tobacco needed a stringent and persistent policy to protect precious human lives.

In reply to a question he said growing incidence of lung and oral cancers, strokes, heart and respiratory diseases are all directly linked to tobacco consumption in one or the other form. Dr. Abdul Malik, a seasoned neurologist, said national and international research has well established that any increase in tobacco price leads to a decrease in number of smoker.

"This is in-fact one of the most effective strategies to curb tobacco use among general population," he said. Mentioning that the strategy hold absolute relevance to Pakistan, PIMA president said ours is one of the largest populations of tobacco users in the world.

There are over 22 million adults smoking cigarettes, huqqa or biri and millions more using smokeless tobacco products, including gutka, naswar, and paan.

"One-third or 32.4% of our male population and 5.7% of women smoke tobacco," he said.

Responding to another query, he said rise in the cost of cigarettes and other bi-products of tobacco, consequent to high taxation, may not matter for the richer strata of the society, however, for the poor and lower middle class, even a small price rise matters a lot.

It is this group that is furthermost away from any sort of health education, health care and economic benefits when it comes to illness that inevitably stems from tobacco use, said the seasoned doctor.

He on the occasion also shared a recent data, based on a research study conducted jointly by FBR, World Bank, University of Toronto, Johns Hopkins University, University of Illinois at Chicago and the Beacon house National University.

The study based on tobacco taxation in Pakistan concluded that a uniform specific excise tax of Rs. 31.2 per pack of 20 cigarettes, could reduce overall cigarette consumption by 7.5 per cent, increase tax revenues by Rs 27.2 billion, leading to over half a million users quitting and reducing premature deaths among current adult smokers by over 180,000, while also preventing 725,000 youth from taking up smoking.