The WHO’s Global Tobacco Epidemic 2015 report, released on Tuesday, found too few countries impose either sufficient tobacco taxes, or sometimes any tobacco taxes at all, meaning cigarettes remain affordable to the world’s smokers.
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During the 20th century, tobacco use claimed an estimated 100 million lives worldwide.
Chan said while the percentage of smokers has declined over the years, the overall number of smokers is on the rise because of global population increase.
She said this was more than the combined fatalities from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Low and middle-income countries accounted for more than 80 per cent of these deaths. “At the moment most countries have a complex and tiered tax structure that is not only hard to administer but also creates loopholes that undermine both the health and revenue impacts of tobacco excise taxes”, says Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO (south-east Asia region). In 2012 16 mil people in general underneath 70 years of age passed away due to each of these health conditions and the majority of of these gems were usually from middle-income or inadequate locations. Now governments are levying much less tax on smokeless tobacco and regulations do not cover all aspects of smokeless tobacco use. It recommends that at least 75% of the price of a pack of cigarettes should be tax.
“We encourage state officials to pay attention to this timely new survey which indicates growing support for changing the current age for tobacco purchases”, American Heart Association (AHA) CEO Nancy Brown said in a statement. The organization claims this is “among the most effective and cost-effective tobacco control interventions”, costs little to implement and increases government revenues. The chamber says the tobacco industry has been singled out for discriminatory tax and regulatory treatment around the world.
The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control outlined a series of new rules and regulations seven years ago, which included measures to restrict tobacco advertising, protect non-smokers, raise tobacco taxes, offer help for those trying to quit smoking and restrict the use of tobacco in public places.
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“Will help reduce tobacco use among our youth and increase the likelihood that our keiki (children) will grow up to be tobacco-free.”
