Tufton to mull WHO call for higher tobacco taxes
GENEVA, Switzerland — Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton along with his ministry and its stakeholders, will evaluate the World Health Organisation’s call for heavy taxation of the tobacco industry.
According to a release from the Ministry of Health, this comes after director general of the WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, urged countries to increase tobacco related taxes as one way of controlling the use of the product.
Chan made the call while addressing the WHO’s Executive Board at its 140th Session this afternoon in Geneva, Switzerland.
It was based on WHO/US National Cancer Institute landmark report on the economics of tobacco and tobacco control. The report concluded that smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion yearly and that smoking will soon kill more than six million people worldwide each year.
Tufton who is in attendance at the session says he paid special attention to the Director General’s comments on the global health challenges related to tobacco and its effects on non-communicable diseases.
“We view with concern the cost of tobacco related illnesses and the associated cost to public health, globally and nationally. Any measures to discourage smoking and/or support public health is worth considering. We are guided by the WHO report and will discuss further within Government,” Tufton is reported as saying.
According to him: “[any] decision on tax increase on tobacco and its products would be a decision of the Government”.
Chan urged attendees at the conference to be vocal in persuading ministers of finance, trade, foreign affairs, and others not to be swayed by the tobacco industry’s false claims.
“It takes courage to issue reports that antagonize powerful economic operators. Economic power readily translates into political power. It falls to WHO to do this. If we fail to accept this responsibility, we will never make sufficient progress against lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases,” she added.
Tufton is attending the 140th WHO Executive Board Meeting, which ends February 1.
