Tobacco tax revenues diverted to paintball activities

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers yesterday accused the government of using tobacco tax revenues to sponsor festivals and print calendars instead of focusing on smoking prevention and health promotion, according to a story in the Taipei Times.

“Each year, the government collects about NT$20 billion [US$638.2 million] in tobacco taxes, which are supposed to be spent on smoking prevention, health promotion and relevant studies,” TSU caucus whip Lai Chen-chang told a press conference in Taipei.

“While 70 percent of the money is spent in these areas, the other 30 percent has become some sort of pocket money for different government agencies to spend on unrelated matters.”

Lai cited a private foundation headed by a former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator that he said had been allocated tobacco-tax funds several times to print calendars and a gourmet guidebook.

“The money is supposed to be spent on smoking prevention and other health-related activities, but these publications are not only unrelated, but also carried the names of KMT candidates,” Lai said.

“It is just unbelievable how public money has become funding for a particular party’s election campaigns.”

Lai said the government had used the money also to sponsor the Dragon Boat Festival, the Lantern Festival and paintball activities.