Philippines’ sin taxes cut smoking, boost revenues

A tobacco (and alcohol) tax regime that was signed into law by the President of the Philippines Benigno Aquino in December 2012 is said to have cut smoking sharply while boosting government revenues, according to an AFP story.
The number of cigarette packs placed on store shelves by retailers had fallen by nearly a third between 2012 and 2014, said revenue chief Kim Henares.
At the same time, cigarette-tax revenue had risen from 32.16 billion pesos in 2012 to 74.33 billion pesos last year.
Under the law, a portion of the revenues from the so-called ‘sin taxes’ are allotted to finance government health programs, including anti-smoking campaigns.
A Department of Health survey in 2009 found that more than 28 percent of the country’s adult population were smokers.