Bad choice of words: Proposal of sin tax irks K-P's tobacco farmers

Chamber of Agriculture says new levy will promote smuggled cigarettes

PESHAWAR: Calling levy on tobacco ‘sin tax’ is an insult to the highly religious and conservative farmers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa who have taken a strong exception to the term ‘sin’ literary meaning gunah, said Sarhad Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) Senior Vice President of Fazal Elahi Khan on Thursday.

The Federal Minister for National Health Services regulations and Coordination Aamer Mehmood Kiani has reportedly said that he will soon submit a bill in the parliament for implementing sin tax on tobacco and cigarettes. The tax collected will be spent on improvements in health-related sector, Kiani had said.

However, Elahi strongly condemned the announcement of imposing sin tax on tobacco by the health minister.

“The term ‘sin’ (gunah) tax’ is an insult to the honourable people of K-P who have been cultivating tobacco crop since decades and it is a main source of our livelihood,” said Elahi.

He said that the minister is talking about the Philippines where Sin Tax is imposed on alcohol and tobacco. “Is the minister considering the honourable farmers of K-P in the same bracket as alcohol sellers? The same farmers who have supported Imran Khan and PTI for years will now be subject to such insults? Is this the Naya Pakistan we voted for – where honest farmers are equalised with sin and alcohol sellers?” he asked.

He suggested that if minister wants money he should collect it from smugglers in the country who steal billion in form of taxes. “Don’t look for the easy way out and over-tax the industry which is already heavily taxed instead the government should go after smugglers.”

“A new tax on tobacco after every two months is tantamount to killing the legal tobacco industry and shifting smokers to smuggled cigarettes. This will destroy the livelihood of my farmers,” he added.

He further added: “We will never allow the government to deprive us of our livelihood and bring insult to honest God-fearing poor farmers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2018.