Islamabad - Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has asked Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to eliminate the third slab of cigarettes before the upcoming budget is presented to help reduce consumption of tobacco in the country, the official said on Wednesday.
The official said that National Assembly (NA) standing committee on finance had also recommended the same to FBR a day before.
A senior official at ministry of National Health Services (NHS) informed The Nation that the ministry has to achieve its global targets signed with World Health Organization (WHO) regarding controlling tobacco consumption in the country.
The official said that health ministry has put its concerns before the FBR, finance division and legislative bodies dealing with tobacco industry to end the third slab. He claimed that the easy accessibility of the third slab of cigarettes to the customers created the biggest hurdle for health ministry in reducing tobacco consumption.
The ministry has asked FBR to implement only two slabs which are in international practice and end the third slab which covers the price from Rs35 to 55 approximately, added official.
The official said that the low price cigarettes have led to an increase in tobacco consumption in the country which has ultimately resulted in a rise in tobacco-related diseases in the country such as lung and mouth cancer. “The ministry wanted to end this slab in upcoming budget while the finance standing committee has also recommended it,” said the official.
WHO has also expressed concerns on the progress made by Pakistan in controlling the tobacco consumption in the country as it is a signatory of international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Ministry of national Health Services and FBR are at loggerheads since last fiscal year after the FBR, against the recommendations of health ministry, had introduced the third slabs of cigarettes which were sold on a lower price.
Spokesperson NHS Sajid Shah informed The Nation that ministry had also intimated the FBR in the month of December to end the third slab.
“Health of people cannot be compromised on industry’s profit,” he said. Earlier, a report issued by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) said that Pakistan is among the developing countries with a high tobacco prevalence and high mortality rate. More than 100000 people die due to tobacco inducted diseases, the study revealed on Wednesday.
According to the study conducted on national treasury versus public health 2018-19, it was learned that there are above 23.9 million tobacco users in the country, out of which 125000 are dying every year because of tobacco inducted diseases.
The report stated that lung and mouth cancer have a higher prevalence in Pakistan as compared to other forms of cancer and both of these are etiologically linked with tobacco.
