Daily Times

The health experts in the wake of the snowballing economic burden in terms of public health and economic costs due to rising cigarette consumption have called for implementation of World Bank’s recommendation for increase in Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes. Director Center for Research and Dialogue (CRD), Amjad Qamar was of the view, “Increasing FED on cigarettes will check the steady rise in consumption and ensure a healthier future for Pakistan’s youth.” He further stated that Pakistan was one of the largest tobacco-consuming countries and low prices of cigarettes were the major contributor in the respect. “Cigarettes are more affordable in Pakistan than the rest of the region,” Qamar added. Taxation policies of the successive governments have failed to generate revenue as well as to curb the alarmingly high smoking rate due to policies that are often manipulated by industry giants, particularly the multinational companies.