ISLAMABAD: Health experts and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Monday, admitted that cigarette production in May 2023 has drastically decreased as compared to past months of 2022-23.
This was the consensus among the Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC) and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids during a pre-budget interaction, here on Monday.
According to the SPARC, the government should be generating additional revenues from increased tobacco taxation instead of tobacco industry.
Malik Imran, country head Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that the tobacco industry's profit margin increased due to the shifting of the tax burden on the customers. He further added tobacco industry’s ulterior motive is to earn hefty profits from its consumer which is why the industry has always tried to manipulate the government and tax policies in its favour.
Malik Imran said that cigarette production in May is significantly lower than the rest of the months, indicating the industry's intention to pressure the government from implementing tax increase. Tobacco industry is utilising every platform to get benefits from its consumers as well as to gain leniency in tax earnings.
The FED shared in retail price continuously declined from 45.7 per cent in 2020-21 to 41.0 per cent in 2022-23 (Aug-Feb). During the same period, the producers' price increased from 41.1 per cent to 44.4 per cent. The overall price increase was 164 per cent and 170 per cent in tier one and tier 2 respectively. Cigarette manufacturers have also kept increasing their net-of-tax price of the economy brand increased by 121 per cent, much higher than the prevailing inflation rate.
Dr Ziauddin Islam, former technical head, Tobacco Control Cell, Ministry of Health, said that cigarette manufacturers have over-shifted the tax burden to consumers to increase their profitability. Tobacco industry has used various tactics, such as front-loading and abrupt changes in production, to avoid tax hikes and influence tax policy. Another ploy by the tobacco industry is presenting overblown figures of illicit trade, to pressurise the government into withdrawing FED in budget.
After a tax increase of over 150 per cent in February 2023, the FED share rose to 51.6 per cent—though it has not increased as much due to tax over-shifting by the cigarette industry and remains lower than the widely-accepted benchmark of 70 per cent.
The consumer price increased by PKR 131. Similarly, the price increase of premium brands was more than the tax increase. This way, the cigarette industry has over-shifted the tax increase.
Khalil Ahmed Dogar, program manager, SPARC, said that the tobacco industry is directly targeting youths’ future and the government’s economic well-being. He further added that the FBR has started countering illegal cigarette packs successfully by implementing track and trace system on tobacco.
To end this tobacco menace, we must understand the underlying facts and truth on the tobacco industry’s wrong approach which only focuses on its own profits at the expense of its customers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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