Tripling tobacco tax globally would reduce
smoking by a third and prevent 200 million premature deaths from lung
cancer and other diseases this century, researchers, including an
Indian-origin scientist, say. Such a large tax increase would double
the street price of cigarettes in some countries and narrow the price
gap between the cheapest and most expensive cigarettes, which would
encourage people to stop smoking rather than switch to a cheaper brand
and help young not to start, researchers said. This would be especially
effective in low- and middle-income countries, where the cheapest
cigarettes are relatively affordable and where smoking rates continue to
rise, said Dr Prabhat Jha, director of the Centre for Global Health
Research of St Michael's Hospital. But it would also be effective in
rich countries, said Jha, who is also a professor in the Dalla Lana
School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. "A higher tax on
tobacco is the single most effective intervention to lower smoking rates
and to deter future smokers," Jha said. "Worldwide, around a
half-billion children and adults under the age of 35 are already – or
soon will be – smokers and on current patterns few will quit," said
Professor Sir Richard Peto of the University of Oxford, the co-author.
"This study demonstrates that tobacco taxes are a hugely powerful lever
and potentially a triple win – reducing the numbers of people who smoke
and who die from their addiction, reducing premature deaths from smoking
and yet, at the same time, increasing government income," researchers
wrote in the review published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Controlling tobacco marketing is also key to helping people quit
smoking, researchers believe. An independent review in the UK concluded
that plain packaging would reduce the appeal of cigarettes. Australia
changed to plain packaging in 2011, a measure New Zealand plans to
follow, researchers said. Researchers said an average of 10 years of
life is lost from smoking. Many of those killed are still in middle age,
meaning on average they lose about 20 years of life expectancy.
Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar attracted opposition BJP's ire today in Rajya Sabha when he said he was not interested in listening to speech of a BJP member on vote on account, prompting the Chair to adjourn the House amid uproar. During the Zero Hour, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien allowed Aiyar, who wanted to ask a question, to do so, which was opposed by BJP members. Kurien asked Aiyar whether he yielded to allow others to speak, to which he said he had no objection and he can ask his question later. As the House got ready to initiate discussion on Vote on Account, Kurien said, "Let us reduce the discussion to two hours from four hours," which was opposed by BJP members including Piyush Goyal who was given a chance to speak on Vote on Account. When it was agreed that discussion will take place as per schedule, Aiyar remarked he was not interested in listening to the speech by BJP member. "You had given me the chance to ask a question
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