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Tobacco control coalition in K'taka seeks hike in taxes on tobacco products in Budget 2023
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IANS | 05 Dec, 2022
Consortium
for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK) and Karnataka NO for Tobacco (KNOT),
a coalition working on cancer prevention, youth protection and tobacco
control, on Monday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to hike
taxes on all tobacco products in the 2023 union budget.
They
have also sent representation letters to the Members of Parliament from
Karnataka urging them to take steps to increase the tax on tobacco
products like cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco.
According to
them, hiking tax is needed to reduce its affordability among the youth,
who are the main target of tobacco companies.
They recalled that
the government has not hiked tax on tobacco products ever since the GST
regime in 2017. The present GST rates combined with the compensation
cess for all tobacco products is far below the recommended level of the
tax burden (taxes as a percentage of final tax inclusive of the retail
price) of 75 per cent by the WHO (World Health Organization).
The
total tax burden is currently only about 53 per cent for cigarettes, 22
per cent for bidis and 60 per cent for smokeless tobacco.
"We
recommend the union government to hike tax on tobacco products in the
budget 2023-24 as tobacco products have become more affordable over the
years.
This is one of the most powerful yet under-utilized tools
to control tobacco usage. When the taxes are tripled, revenue can be
doubled and tobacco consumption can be halved.A This is a great
opportunity to levy additional tax on tobacco to make it less affordable
and reduce consumption" said renowned Oncologist Dr Vishal Rao, who is
also a member of the Karnataka government's High-Power Committee for
Tobacco Control.
"Ever since the GST regime, there hasn't been
any significant hike in the tobacco tax. In budget 2022-23, the
Government could have raised the excise duty on tobacco products and
used the additional revenue to improve public health and build an
alternative livelihood for people dependent on tobacco.
To keep
youngsters and the vulnerable away from tobacco, a tax hike on tobacco
is very much needed. So we request the government to hike the tobacco
tax" said a well-known economist and former director of the Institute of
Social and Economic Change Prof R S Deshpande.
"Recent
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare report-
Cancer Care Plan and Management: Prevention, Diagnosis, Research and
Affordability of Cancer Treatmenta observed that tobacco is a major risk
factor for cancer and said that nearly 50 per cent of all cancers in
India are due to tobacco.
The committee was convinced of the fact
that tobacco use is initiated in teenage when teenagers are not yet
mature to take rational decision-making and insisted on disincentivising
tobacco.
The report also said the cost of tobacco products in
India is the lowest, therefore it recommended an increase of tax on all
tobacco products as it not only prevents easy initiation but also the
additional revenue generated as tax could be used for preventive
programs", said AS J Chander, Convenor of Consortium for Tobacco Free
Karnataka.
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