Continue Increasing Taxes on Tobacco Products

Background

• Increase rates of cancer– Lung cancer

• Heart disease• Poor blood flow• High blood pressure• Secondhand smoke can

cause premature birth and miscarriages

Tobacco Use

Key Facts on Tobacco Use

• Tobacco use is the cause of 6 million deaths per year– Tobacco kills up to HALF of its users

• Deaths may increase to up to 8 million by 2030• Over 7,000 known chemicals

are found in secondhand smoke (the smoke that comes from a cigarette or that is let out by a smoker)

Community Preventative Services Task Force

• Reviewed 116 studies on increasing tobacco products– Lowers the total number of tobacco consumed– Lowers the number of people using tobacco– Increases the number of tobacco users that quit– Lowers the number of young people who start

using tobacco– Lowers tobacco-related illness and death

General Tobacco Effects• Raising tobacco prices will decrease the

number of people that smoke• A decrease in tobacco use will decrease the

level of poverty

U.S. State Cigarette Tax Rates, 2013

Important Considerations

• The money made from a tobacco tax can be used for health promotion and disease prevention programs

• If tobacco prices increase by 10%:– lowers the smoking of cigarettes in many countries– youth and adult smokers decrease by 2.5% to 5%

Youth and Tobacco

• Due to a raise in tobacco taxes of about $1.36 per pack, tobacco use among youths in Guam and the Mariana Islands decreased.

Recommendations

• Increasing taxation on tobacco products– Type of tax: Import duty, excise, and sales tax – Tax cigarettes

• WHO tax stimulation model (TaXSim)– Very accessible simulator

Best Practices

• Raise cigarette tax by at least 10% of a state’s average retail price per pack for there to be any health benefit. Anything less does not have an effect on health.

• Include the definition of tobacco products, include little cigars, roll-your-own tobacco and other loose tobacco.

What can churches do?

• Get youth to take part in church activities• Teach your community about the harmful

effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke• Support those who are trying to quit using

tobacco and betel nut• Ban tobacco at church events

What can schools do?

• Teach your students about the harmful effects of tobacco and the problems it can have on their health

• Enforce rules about not smoking at school• Have a week of awareness to discuss the harmful

effects of tobacco use • Ban smoking at school events and school

activities

What can communities do?

• Enforce smoke-free policies• Start up smoke-free community events and ban

tobacco ads at community gatherings• Work together to help raise taxes on tobacco• Teach your community about the harmful effects

of tobacco and secondhand smoke• Research and gather local information on tobacco

harms in your community

What can I do?• Form or join a team to help raise tobacco taxes• Talk to people in your community that want to help

you• Reach out to people in your local government who can

help you• Put together a team who can help you talk at

community meetings to help teach others about the harms of tobacco and raising the tobacco tax

Continue increasing taxes on tobacco products

A Palauan ExampleTarget Population: National Summary: RPPL 9-4, SD1, HD4 Tobacco Tax Increase

Palau had an existing importation tax for tobacco products at $2.00 Palau Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) Unit worked with its traditional

partners such as: the Cancer Coalition, the Coalition for Tobacco Free Palau, and the Ministry of Health (MOH), to further increase the tax on all tobacco products in Palau, including all imports and local products as well as electronic cigarettes

With the unified support also coming from Palau’s current administration, World Health Organization (WHO) and the civil society, Congress passed a law on September 2013 increasing the tobacco tax from $2.00 to $3.50

The law also limits travelers coming in to Palau from carrying more than 1 opened pack of cigarettes; any extra cigarette packs, are subject to the $3.50 tobacco tax

Who to contact?

James RarickTechnical Officer, Tobacco Free Initiative

WHO Western Pacific Regional OfficeManila, Philippines

E-mail: rarickj@wpro.who.int