Achi news desk-
ISLAMABAD: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) has urged the government that by increasing the tax on cigarettes, it can significantly reduce the cost of the health system. Smoking causes many diseases, including cancer lung, heart, stroke, respiratory diseases and various other cancers, the cost to the health system due to smoking-related diseases accounts for 1.6 percent of the country’s GDP annually. Head of Country Campaign for Tobacco Free Children (CTFK) Malik Imran Ahmad said that a lot of money is being spent on treating diseases related to smoking An effective strategy for the government is to increase the tax on cigarettes.
He emphasized the need to increase the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes by 26% in the upcoming budget, saying it can recover 19.8% of the health system’s costs on smoking-related diseases. the government increased the tax immediately. cigarettes in the federal budget 2024-25, the tax increase will generate revenue 17 billion. He said that information reports show that high prices affect the purchasing power and this is the formula for tobacco in us. It should also be adoption to reduce the use of Imran Ahmed said that by making cigarettes more expensive, the youth can be kept away from smoking, while the income from tobacco tax can be spent on public health.
Spark Program Manager Dr Khalil Ahmad Dogar said that the youth segment is more price conscious than the adults, so increasing the price of cigarettes can discourage them from smoking. He said research has shown that raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking rates. A lower smoking rate leads to a healthier society Dr Khalil stressed that discouraging young people from using tobacco is essential to protecting public health and increasing taxes on cigarettes will help achieve this goal.
