|
WHO... for
higher
tobacco
taxes to
save more
lives
27 May 2014
| GENEVA -
On World No
Tobacco Day
(31 May),
WHO calls on
countries to
raise taxes
on tobacco
to encourage
users to
stop and
prevent
other people
from
becoming
addicted to
tobacco.
Based on
2012 data,
WHO
estimates
that by
increasing
tobacco
taxes by
50%, all
countries
would reduce
the number
of smokers
by 49
million
within the
next 3 years
and
ultimately
save 11
million
lives.
Today, every
6 seconds
someone dies
from tobacco
use. Tobacco
kills up to
half of its
users. It
also incurs
considerable
costs for
families,
businesses
and
governments.
Treating
tobacco-related
diseases
like cancer
and heart
disease is
expensive.
And as
tobacco-related
disease and
death often
strikes
people in
the prime of
their
working
lives,
productivity
and incomes
fall.
“Raising
taxes on
tobacco is
the most
effective
way to
reduce use
and save
lives,” says
WHO
Director-General
Dr Margaret
Chan.
“Determined
action on
tobacco tax
policy hits
the industry
where it
hurts.”
Key
Points......
Australia
shows the
impact of
plain
packaging
On 4 August
2014
Australian
officials
announced
that the
nation’s
daily
smoking
rate, among
people aged
14 years and
older,
declined
from 15.1%
to 12.8%
between 2010
and 2013.
The drop in
the smoking
rate shows
that the
plain-packaging
law enforced
at the end
of 2012 — as
well as the
25% tax
increase
Australia
instituted
in 2010 —
works. The
Australian
law requires
tobacco
products to
be sold in
drab
packages
with large
graphic
images of
tobacco-related
diseases and
the brand
name but
without
logos.
For details
follow:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/no-tobacco-day/en/
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