ISLAMABAD - Health and tobacco control activists yesterday urged the government to take notice of the alleged delay in the implementation of health levy bill on sugary drinks and cigarettes that was approved by the federal cabinet in 2019, as it is involves the revenue and health issues of the general public.
Addressing a joint press conference here at the National Press Club Islamabad, representatives of Human Development Foundation (HDF), Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC) and Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) asked the government to recall about the Health Levy Bill, passed by the cabinet in 2019 and has yet not been implemented.
Syed Anis Bilal, Project Lead, HDF, stated that the tax authorities are responsible for delay in the implementation of health levy bill.
Noncompliance in implementation of the health levy bill has already cost the government a total of Rs. 55 billion in revenues last year, he mentioned.
Sanaullah Ghumman, General Secretary, PANAH, claimed that the bill has been going back and forth between relevant ministries and tax department.
He mentioned that the Ministry of Finance had assured given the Federal Ombudsman to take necessary steps for the implementation of the Health Levy Bill. Hearing was held in Federal Ombudsman on the petition filed by PANAH in the presence of Senior Health Adviser of the Federal Ombudsman regarding health levy bill.
Khalil Ahmed, Programme Manager, SPARC, said that the idea of a health levy was to increase the prices of sugary drinks and tobacco products, so that they are out of reach of children, and it would generate revenues as well.
Talking on this issue, Malik Imran, Country Representative, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said that health levy was only a measure to mitigate the health burden caused by non-essential products such as sugary drinks and tobacco products.
