The effects of any drug (including tobacco) vary from person to person. How tobacco affects individuals depends on many things including their size, weight, health and the like. The effects of tobacco, as with any drug, also depend on the amount taken, myDr.com.au stated.
Australian Government Department of Health stated, “Within 10 seconds of your first puff, the toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your brain, heart and other organs. Smoking harms almost every part of your body and increases your risk of many diseases. Smoking also affects how you look and feel your finances and the people close to you.”
According to Dereje Shimelis, lawyer at Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA), there are 1.1 billion smokers throughout the world of which 3.2 million are in Ethiopia. Smoking related death rate globally is 18 million per year in which 1.2 million are nonsmokers. The number in Ethiopia is about 17,000 above threefold greater than road traffic accident related death.
Sound measures are needed in this regard to save lives of many especially the young people. Yisihak Fekadu, lawyer and lecturer at Debre Berhan University on his part said that excise tax with particular reference to tobacco taxation is among the effective measures in mitigating effects of tobacco on health.
As to him, excise tax is applied selectively on particular goods. Basically it is applied on luxury, basic goods and goods with higher negative externalities. Tobacco taxation is to regulate its negative externality that is its effect on people’s health.
Yisihak said that producers argue that rising tax on products discourages them by minimizing purchasers of their products. If their product is less needed in the market because of high price induced by high excise tax, they are obliged to stop production and this in turn hurts the economy. Among the rationalities of excise tax is revenue raising. When government rises excise tax and industries cease production because of this, government loses revenue and many people become jobless.
Dr. Keiredin Redi, Deputy Director of EFDA for his part said that Ethiopia losses over 31 billion Birr per year due to non-communicable diseases in which tobacco takes the lion’s share.
While speaking on the forum “Tobacco Tax Increment and Media Forum Formation” held at Adama on 30 December, 2019, he called the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) to amend the draft proclamation of Ad Valorem 30 percent plus five Birr excise tax per packet on cigarette before its endorsement to mitigate the calamity tobacco induces.
Recalling proclamation 1112/2019 Ethiopia has issued to control tobacco, he added that since it was among the strongest tobacco laws in Africa and the world, World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged the country and awarded certificate of recognition.
As to the director, WHO strongly suggests countries to impose near to 70 percent excise tax on tobacco selling price in order to achieve tobacco convention package. The main target of the convention is to minimize number of current smokers and to discourage new beginners through raised price of tobacco.
Regardless of this truth, the recently designed excise tax proclamation by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) is very low and it gives opportunity for tobacco to prolong its multifaceted damages, he added.
Thus, he calls on the HPR to look thoroughly the negative impact of the lowered excise tax on achieving the goals of proclamation 1112/2019 and human crisis as well as economic loss. All public especially the media, also have to carry out their responsibility by uniting their voice to impose pressure on HPR to save life of people particularly of the youth through raising tobacco excise tax, he said.
Asnakech Alemu, Director of Safety Production at EFDA on her part said, “Our main target is to perform the WHO recommendation of 70 percent excise tax on tobacco in order to mitigate the negative effect of cigarette on the people. If we are not able to achieve this, we struggle for the second option 50 percent plus 8 Birr per packet.”
Achieving this target, as to her, capacitates the country to control tobacco in a better way. To this end, raising awareness of the public especially media professionals adds effort on the campaign against tobacco and its negative outcomes.
The Ethiopian Herald January 14, 2020
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
