Discuss the impact of increasing tobacco taxes on people's health

Attending the workshop were MSc. Dr. Phan Thi Hai - Deputy Director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, Ministry of Health; Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Anh - Director of the Center for Development and Policy Research (DEPOCEN); Expert, MSc. Dao The Son - Global Public Health Organization (Vital Strategies); Dr. Le Huong Linh - Lecturer at International University, Vietnam National University, Hanoi; MSc. Pham Van Long - Director of VESS...

According to VESS, the high rate of smoking in Vietnam is leaving many serious consequences in terms of health, economy and society. In the context of Vietnam moving towards fiscal policies for sustainable development, increasing tobacco tax is a strongly recommended solution to reduce consumption demand, improve public health, and increase revenue for the state budget.

While raising tobacco taxes in Vietnam is often opposed with arguments such as burdening low-income groups or possibly increasing smuggling, many evidences show that these concerns are not entirely justified. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the role of tobacco taxes in the entire socio-economic ecosystem.

Regarding the objectives of the training session, MSc. Pham Van Long - Director of VESS said: "The training session aims to analyze the relationship between increasing tobacco taxes and reactions from the market, businesses and smuggling in Vietnam. In addition, it aims to discuss the impact of tobacco tax policy on the state budget, public health, medical costs and labor productivity, thereby clarifying the role of this policy in sustainable development. This is also a forum for discussion between health experts, economists, journalists and stakeholders to clarify the role of tobacco taxes in the current context of Vietnam".

The training session consisted of two discussion sessions. In the first session, experts presented on the following topics: Increasing tobacco tax - an effective solution to reduce tobacco use; Impact of increasing tobacco tax on tobacco production and trade; Other socio-economic impacts of increasing tobacco tax. In the next session, experts continued to discuss issues surrounding the impact of increasing tobacco tax on people's health and market reactions.

In the context of the National Assembly considering amending and passing the Law on Special Consumption Tax, including increasing tobacco tax, the training program provided additional information and perspectives for National Assembly deputies on tobacco tax policy.

Minh Trang

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/thao-luan-ve-tac-dong-cua-viec-tang-thue-thuoc-la-toi-suc-khoe-nguoi-dan-post546254.html