Revise taxation policy for tobacco products, says IPHA
Posted on: 13/May/2013 5:48:24 PM
The President of the Indian Public Health Association’s (IPHA) Tamil Nadu chapter S. Elango has demanded that the government introduced a policy of taxation on cigarettes and other tobacco products.
‘The Global Adult Tobacco Survey for 2009-2010 estimated that 170 million people
in India used chewable tobacco, while another 120 million smoked tobacco. A study conducted by IPHA in 2011 found that a majority of women in rural Tamil Nadu use chewable tobacco. Women who came from other States looking for jobs here, topped the list of tobacco users’, said Mr. Elango. ‘Chewable tobacco causes oral cancer which affects the cheeks, tongue,
gums, lips and palate.
‘Taxation will reduce the consumption of tobacco. Nobody bothers about the pictorial warnings that are currently displayed on the products. But if the products are more expensive, people may think twice before buying them… The money from the tax could be used to establish hospitals and radiotherapy units and for cancer treatment.’
