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Health group to parents: call for higher tobacco taxes if you don’t want your kids to smoke

Published by hj on December 8, 2017
Categories
  • Press Release
  • Tobacco Taxation
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HealthJustice Philippines, a think tank and advocacy group with legal expertise in tobacco control and health promotion, called on Filipino parents to support the increase of tobacco taxes to discourage their children from smoking.

According to the 2015 Global Youth and Tobacco Survey, 16% of 13-15 year old students are current users of tobacco products. 10.9% of them smoke in schools. 79.4% of these young smokers buy on a “tingi-tingi” basis from sari-sari stores and ambulant vendors.

“It is alarming that plenty of youth are smoking. We must take swift and decisive action on this. Parents, for the sake of your children’s health and lives, tell your legislators to significantly increase tobacco taxes to discourage your kids from consuming tobacco products. It might develop into a deadly habit that will encumber them for the rest of their lives,” said Mary Ann Fernandez Mendoza, President of HealthJustice Philippines.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a global health treaty, urges all state parties, which include the Philippines, to design and implement an effective tobacco taxation system.

“The youth are generally price-sensitive because of the limited allowance they get. But in the Philippines, cigarettes are still accessible to the youth because our tobacco tax rate remains one of the lowest in the world. In Singapore, the average price of a cigarette pack is almost PhP 500. In Australia, beginning 2020, it will be higher than PhP 1500. We should raise tobacco taxes so that our youth will be discouraged from smoking,” Fernandez Mendoza added.

More than seven million people die annually around the world due to smoking-related diseases. In the Philippines, tobacco kills 10 people every hour.

HealthJustice Philippines is a Bloomberg Awardee on Global Tobacco Control. It is a Programme Partner of the NCD Alliance, an international network of experts and advocates working to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases worldwide.

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HealthJustice is a public health think tank that aims to bridge the gap between health and law to empower Filipinos to make healthy choices. The founding members of HealthJustice include doctors, lawyers, and economists who have been recognized for their services in both the private and public sector.

Our Partners

  • World Health Organization
  • Department of Health
  • Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance
  • Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
  • Global Center for Good Governance
  • NCD Alliance

Contact Us

  • Room 106-B Philippine Social Science Center Commonwealth Avenue Diliman, Quezon City
  • (+632) 8709 7503
  • info@healthjustice.ph
  • healthjustice.ph@gmail.com

Follow Us

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HealthJustice is a public health think tank that aims to bridge the gap between health and law to empower Filipinos to make healthy choices. The founding members of HealthJustice include doctors, lawyers, and economists who have been recognized for their services in both the private and public sector.

Our Partners

  • World Health Organization
  • Department of Health
  • Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance
  • Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
  • Global Center for Good Governance
  • NCD Alliance

Contact Us

  • Room 106-B Philippine Social Science Center
    Commonwealth Avenue Diliman, Quezon City
  • (+632) 8709 7503
  • info@healthjustice.ph
  • healthjustice.ph@gmail.com

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Youtube

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