WHO and CMH Urge Cambodia to Increase Tobacco Tax to Reduce Smoking and Save Lives
Experts Highlight Benefits of Higher Tobacco Taxes at Workshop in Phnom Penh
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Cambodia Movement for Health Organisation (CMH) jointly organized a workshop at the Royal Academy of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, where they called upon the Ministry of Economy and Finance to increase tobacco taxes. The organizations emphasized that Cambodia’s current tobacco tax rates of 25% on domestic cigarettes and 31% on imported cigarettes are relatively low, making cigarettes more affordable and encouraging young people to take up smoking.
Higher Tobacco Taxes: The Most Effective Way to Reduce Smoking
Yel Daravuth, a Technical Officer at the WHO, stated that increasing tobacco taxes is the single most effective method to reduce tobacco use and smoking-related deaths. He explained that higher tobacco taxes not only improve public health by preventing youth from starting smoking but also increase government revenue without negatively impacting poor families.
According to a case study conducted by the WHO, increasing the price of a cigarette packet by 500 riels could prevent at least 30,000 people from smoking in the following year. Moreover, this measure could prevent 10,000 deaths over the next decade and generate approximately $53 million in annual revenue for the government.
Tobacco Use in Cambodia: A Growing Concern
Mom Kong, the executive director of CMH, highlighted that tobacco use claims more than 15,000 lives in Cambodia every year. A public survey conducted by the National Meanchey University in 2020 revealed that participants suggested a 62% increase in tobacco prices to encourage people to quit smoking.
Sin Sovann, the Deputy Director of the Public Health Centre, noted that the number of smokers in Cambodia has risen from 1.47 million in 2011 to 1.63 million in 2021.
Ministry to Consider Tax Increase and Factory Audits
Van Puthipol, an Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, acknowledged that tobacco taxes in Cambodia are currently 20% lower than in other ASEAN countries and the rest of the world. He stated that the ministry would examine the possibility of increasing taxes and auditing cigarette factories.
As the workshop concluded, the WHO and CMH reiterated their call for the Cambodian government to take decisive action in raising tobacco taxes to curb smoking rates, reduce smoking-related deaths, and generate additional revenue for the country.
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