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MANILA, Philippines — The national government on Wednesday was asked to recalibrate its taxation of all standard tobacco products given the expected increase in the country’s smokers in the next four years.
Speaking at a Senate hearing, Dr. Maria Encarnita Limpin of Action on Smoking & Health Philippines said further taxation of tobacco products would prevent the increase in smoking prevalence, especially among adolescents and young adults.
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“It is estimated that there will be 400,000 more new smokers, and if this is going to happen, it is estimated that there will be 14,000 additional deaths,” she said.
As a medical practitioner and a health advocate, Limpin said she and her group do not want to see people getting sick and dying from tobacco-related diseases. This includes those who use electronic smoking devices, which, according to Limpin, are as equally harmful as tobacco products.
hot vegas slotsArticle continues after this advertisement“Our recommendation [is] further taxation of sin products that include standard tobacco products and electronic smoking devices. Effective taxation has been shown to effectively reduce tobacco use and reduction in tobacco use,” Limpin added.
Article continues after this advertisementTo prove the effectiveness of such a proposal, Limpin cited the tobacco-related deaths as shown in the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors from 117,000 in 2017 to 112,000 in 2019.
Article continues after this advertisement“We believe that at this particular time, the buying capacity of Filipinos has increased, and therefore, it will be wise to increase taxes on tobacco products to keep up with the changing times,” she said.
“Second, further strengthening of tax administration in order to combat illicit trade and to achieve this, we recommend certain measures. Number one, put into place a trace and track system on all standard tobacco products and electronic smoking devices to record the movements of these products throughout the supply chain,” she added.
Article continues after this advertisementSen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who presided over the hearing as committee chair, made the same call, noting that most of the new smokers in the country are the youth.
“One of our recommendations is to increase taxes on heated tobacco products and e-cigars and make nicotine unitary in terms of tax application. This is the rationale why we want to increase [the] level of taxation for e-nicotine products [as well],” he said.
Data from the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) showed that in 2023, there were at least 9.5 million smokers in the Philippines.
Of this number, 7.5 million were using traditional cigarettes while 1.1 million were using manufactured illicit cigarettes.
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Apeco president and chief executive officer Gil Taway IV said in a recent interview that he will embark on a follow-through investment mission to the United States from Oct. 20 to 27 to talk to firms about their investment interests inside the zone, especially in seaport and defense hub development.
The government agency issued this month the invitation to bid for the P56.76-million contract. Interested parties have until Nov. 5 to submit their proposals.
DOST-FNRI’s data likewise bared that at least 1.5 million smokers are using electronic cigarettes.
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