Health experts call for heavy levy on tobacco products

Say 10.7 per cent of youth consume tobacco due to cheap prices

ISLAMABAD:

Speakers have sought an immediate implementation of the Tobacco Health Levy Bill, which could generate Rs60 billion in revenue besides saving children from the harms of tobacco products.

They said that children have right to education, health and development and it must be ensured.

They were speaking at a huddle organised by the Society for Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) in connection with the Universal Children's Day here in the federal capital.

The speakers while highlighting the need for imposing a health levy on tobacco products shed light on this year’s theme, "Inclusion, For Every child”.

Vital Strategies Country Lead Dr Ziauddin Islam appreciated the participation of children on the occasion.

He maintained that children are most vulnerable to exposure to the harms of tobacco items as these products are inexpensive and easily available to them.

He said according to statistics, 10.7 per cent of Pakistani youth, including 6.6 per cent of girls and 13.3 per cent of boys, consume tobacco products due to their cheap prices.

Moreover, he said, approximately 1,200 Pakistani children begin smoking every day.

“As a society, we must take a step to save our children from tobacco consumption by implementing a health levy on tobacco products,” he suggested.

SPARC Board of Directors Member Khalida Ahmed highlighted that nearly half – 45 per cent - of the country’s population are children under the age of 18 years.

She said child rights are recognised and protected under the global commitments made by Pakistan such as UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Tobacco is a pandemic that directly violates children's right to life, survival and development, health, education, and access to clean and green public places, she added.

Chromatic Trust CEO Shariq Mehmood Khan stated that the tobacco industry is trying to conquer the minds of children by manipulating them with different tactics of selling and glamourising tobacco products.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2022.