Need to run an awareness campaign on media against smoking: Ali

Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs said that the government would take all necessary steps to guarantee the enforcement of all relevant laws aimed at increasing taxation of cigarettes and lowering health costs.

He said reformulation of the health policy that helps underprivileged people more and enhances the overall health structure is urgently needed, speaking at a conference in Islamabad. He stressed the need to run an awareness campaign on media against smoking.

The Minister of State stated that the government will overcome obstacles created by the tobacco business in order to protect Pakistani youngsters from its harmful effects.

The speakers emphasized that increasing the federal excise duty (FED) rate will benefit the government in meeting its goal of lowering tobacco use, as well as tobacco-related disease, death, and economic costs.

Such an increase will also help Pakistan meet its obligations u as a signatory country to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and create much-needed money to help reduce the fiscal deficit.

They said in addition to tax measures, monitoring mechanisms and enforcement of pertinent laws should also be improved, including a track and trace system as announced by the finance minister in his budget speech for 2021-22.

According to a statement, chief of sales tax and federal excise policy, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Girghari Mai Maghwar shared that the large fiscal imbalances in Pakistan require greater tax revenues.  Tobacco taxes have the potential to increase government income.

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