Publications

Murukutla, N., Turk, T., Prasad, C.V.S., Saradhi, R., Kaur, J., Gupta, S., Mullin, S., Ram, F., Gupta, P., Wakefield, M. (2011) Results of a national mass media campaign in India to warn against the dangers of smokeless tobacco consumption. Tobacco Control 2011; tc.2010.039438Published Online First: 20 April 2011 doi:10.1136/tc.2010.039438

Tuberculosis is a global killer, claiming the lives of more than two million people annually and sickening millions more. Tobacco plays an enormous role in that calamity.

Thrasher, J.F., Huang, L., PÌ©rez-HernÌÁndez, R., Niederdeppe, J., Arillo-SantillÌÁn, E., Alday, J. (Feb. 2011) Evaluation of a social marketing campaign to support Mexico City's comprehensive smoke-free law. Am J Public Health;101(2):328-35.

Well over three billion people, half of those who dwell on earth, cook daily with biomass fuels, which include firewood, twigs and grass, crop residue, and animal dung. These energy sources are cheap and readily available in the mostly poor and rural regions where they are widely used. But they are inefficient and highly polluting, and the evidence of their destructive impact on human health is overwhelming.

Raising the specific tax to 3.10 TL per pack and the ad valorem tax to 65% will lead 0.9 million current smokers to quit and prevent 0.7 million young people from initiating smoking, preventing 0.5 illion premature deaths among Turkey‰Ûªs population. Further, it would generate an additional 4.1 illion TL in tax revenue.

Alday J, Murukutla N, Cedillo C, et al. Smoke-free S íÄao Paulo: a campaign evaluation and the case for sustained mass media investment. Salud P íublica de M íex 2010;52 (suppl 2):S216eS25.

Raising the specific excise tax component to 20 pesos per pack by 2013 would increase total tax inclusive of VAT to 75% of retail price, prevent nearly 1 million deaths, and raise excise tax revenues of over 41 billion pesos.

Recently, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in research projects to develop new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for tuberculosis. However, no laboratory advance will save even one of the millions facing death this year and next . . .

Introducing a specific tax of VND 1750 (US$ 0.11) per pack of 20 cigarettes, indexed to inflation, would raise an additional VND 4.3 trillion (US$ 268 million) in tax revenue annually and avert approximately 339,000 premature deaths.

To reduce the demand for tobacco, excise tax increases and the resulting higher prices are a proven effective measure that governments can adopt as part of an overall strategy of tobacco control.