Online
Islamabad
The spokesperson of Human Development Foundation (HDF) has stated that PTI government decision to levy a special ‘sin tax’ on tobacco products to discourage smoking in the country is a historic decision.
Federal Minister for National Health Services Aamer Mehmood Kiani had recently stated that government is sending a sin tax bill in the National Assembly in which taxes would be imposed on cigarettes and tobacco products.
Dr. Asad Hafiz Director National Health Services has stated that departments like NHS and other welfare institutions had already given recommendation to the government of imposing sin tax on cigarettes and added that government took good step for the betterment of the health.
He stated that currently sin tax implemented in 45 countries and the countries like Philippines, UK and Saudi Arabia included in it. He stated the currently Rs 140 billion annually spent on the diseases related to tobacco products. According to a survey, more than 177 million cigarettes are consumed every day in Pakistan that causes some 108,800 fatalities every year, ie 298 per day.
Pakistan will be the country to impose a sin tax on cigarettes after many countries. In 2012, the Philippines government imposed this tax to raise revenues and discourage smoking, which kills nearly 88,000 Filipinos each year according to the World Health Organization (WHO) data.
