Tax increase sought

The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Cambodia Movement for Health are calling for the Cambodian government to increase the tobacco tax and use the money to expand health care benefits for the general public, reports the Khmer Times.

These groups held a joint press conference and said that 1.68 million adults smoke cigarettes in Cambodia, while about 500,000 chew tobacco, and that tobacco consumption among youth has also increased.

Ulysses Dorotheo, executive director of SEATCA, said Cambodia’s tobacco tax rate of between 25 and 30 percent is still among the lowest in the region.

“Tobacco tax policies have been strengthened in recent years, but they have not yet been used to their full potential to discourage tobacco consumption and raise government revenues for social development programmes,” Dorotheo said.

Yel Daravuth, a WHO representative,  said the tobacco tax should be at least set to 70 percent, and that the revenue should be used to help the social and health sectors.