Tag: Smokers

  • Pakistan faces Rs615 billion annual deficit due to tobacco consumption

    Pakistan faces Rs615 billion annual deficit due to tobacco consumption

    Pakistan has a substantial Rs615 billion annual deficit owing to diseases caused by smoking and overall tobacco usage, with only Rs120 billion earning in tax revenue from the product.

    The government is expected to improve revenue by raising the tax on cigarettes by 30 per cent according to The Nation.

    This was voiced by speakers at a major symposium held in Islamabad on May 18. The Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) held a seminar on the theme ‘Harms of Tobacco Products and the Importance of Tax Policy,’ which was presided over by Patron General (R) Ashraf Khan and hosted by General Secretary Sana Ullah Ghumman.

    As per the speakers at the event, tobacco usage is a major cause of serious heart, lung, and cancer diseases in the country. A fact sheet on the health and economic costs of cigarette usage was released by the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC).

    According to the survey, tobacco is used by 31 million persons over the age of 15. More than 260,000 people are predicted to start smoking in the country if tobacco taxes are not raised in the budget for 2022-23.

    Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, the former governor of KP and a senior PML-N leader, was the special guest at the event. Nisar Cheema, a member of the National Assembly, was also present.

    Read more: Tobacco companies in Pakistan may bump cigarette prices

    PANAH Patron General (R) Ashraf Khan congratulated the attendees and informed them of the organization’s goals and objectives.

    Smoking was declared the primary cause of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart, cancer, respiratory, and chronic diseases, according to participants, with an estimated 163,360 persons dying in 2017.

  • Tobacco companies in Pakistan may bump cigarette prices

    Tobacco companies in Pakistan may bump cigarette prices

    Farmers have asked the government and firms to increase the price of future tobacco products in accordance with the current price hikes in pesticides, fertilisers, and other crop preparation and selling charges.

    On May 9, the demand was made at a meeting of Ittehad-e-Kashtkaran in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The participants agreed that the government should reduce agricultural inputs because pesticide, fertiliser, and other costs have risen dramatically.

    Attendees suggested that the price of tobacco be set at Rs350 per kilogramme so that growers may meet the current price increases in pesticides, fertilisers, and other expenses spent during crop preparation and marketing.

    The newly elected officials also encouraged the government to create favourable local marketplaces for agricultural products to aid hardworking farmers. They demanded that the government and tobacco businesses pay the farmers’ outstanding debts immediately.

    Read more: Open market: Lemon being sold at Rs1,100 per kg in Lahore

    Growers also asked the government to develop a policy to prevent tobacco-related industries from moving from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Azad Kashmir and other provinces.

    It should be noted that tobacco is grown in Pakistan, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for 80 per cent of total production.

    Tobacco products also give Rs135 billion to the federal budget, while the tobacco development tax contributes Rs980 million to the provincial budget.

  • PTI MNA says women smoking cigarettes cause divorce

    PTI MNA says women smoking cigarettes cause divorce

    PTI Member of National Assembly (MNA) and Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, Nausheen Hamid, while addressing an audience, said that, “girls are very involved in cigarette smoking.”

    Read More – Is Mahira Khan glorifying abusive relationships in Pakistani dramas?

    She went on to say that, “I personally know of homes where smoking became a habit for girls and when they got married, they were unable to quit. [The smoking] created social issues with their in-laws and eventually led to divorce.”

    Twitter hit her hard with criticism about her comments.

    https://twitter.com/ManiacKumar/status/1466017986838507529
    https://twitter.com/sarmadrafi7/status/1466005946547773447
    https://twitter.com/TheMichi7/status/1466004275797110789

    In a recent survey, 58% of Pakistanis believe that divorce rates in Pakistan have increased in the country. 2 out of  every 5 Pakistanis believe that the in-laws are responsible for most of these cases, revealed the survey.