{"id":1837,"date":"2020-12-02T04:08:14","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T04:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sarccct.org\/?p=1837"},"modified":"2020-12-02T04:08:14","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T04:08:14","slug":"joint-press-release-raise-tobacco-tax-and-save-health-and-economy-of-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/?p=1837","title":{"rendered":"Joint Press Release: Raise Tobacco Tax and Save Health AND Economy of Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(23rd November 2020)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Tobacco prematurely kills 50% of its users and 20,000 Sri Lankans per year. It is also a major determinant of poverty at individual, household and community levels, contributing to the vicious cycles of under nutrition and lower economic productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly indicated an association<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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between tobacco smoking and severe c<\/span>omplications from COVID-19, including increasing risk for death. Thus, this is the opportune time for a \u201cpeople-friendly\u201d government to tighten up tobacco control measures not only to save its citizens from COVID-19, but also to prevent the diverse range of tobacco related health, economic and social adverse effects at individual, household and societal levels.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Raising tobacco tax is one of the six evidence-based strategies recommended under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the global treaty to control tobacco, to which Sri Lanka is a party from 2003. Even though it is one of the most under-utilised strategies, as evident in the budget proposals of this year, it is proven over and over again that raising tax is a powerful, effect<\/span>ive and win-win strategy for governments because it not only protects its citizens from tobacco, but also increases the government tax revenue. According to a case study on Investments for Tobacco Control by National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol, FCTC, United Nation\u2019s Development Programme and WHO Country Office for Sri Lanka in 2016, a rational increase of tobacco tax will yield a return-on-investment of 724 by 2030, in other words, each<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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rupee spent in raising tax will yield 724 rupees. A recent study by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), found that a science-backed four-staged increase of tobacco tax over the next four years (2020 \u2013 2023) will increase government revenue by LKR 37 Billion, decrease tobacco smoking prevalence to less than<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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12.5% (from the current 18%) and save at least 141,391 Sri L<\/span>ankans from premature death.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Therefore, we, advocates of public health and tobacco control in Sri Lanka, plead the Sri Lankan Government to employ an evidence-based rational tax policy, guided by sound health and economic fundamentals, to increase tobacco tax and reduce affordability of cigarettes, protecting our country and its citizens from COVID-19 and premature death.<\/span><\/div>\n
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This joint press release has been issued by ;<\/p>\n

1. Ceylon College of Physicians \u2013 Sri Lanka\u2019s premier professional organization for specialists in medicine<\/p>\n

2. Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists \u2013 The professional body of psychiatrists in Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

3. Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists \u2013 The professional body of chest specialists in Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

4. Sri Lanka College of Community Physicians \u2013 The professional body of public health specialists in Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

5. Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) \u2013 The premier civil organization in alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention in Sri Lanka<\/p>\n

6. Centre for Combating Tobacco \u2013 WHO-sanctioned tobacco industry observatory for Sri Lanka and South Asia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

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\u272f Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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President<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ceylon College of Physicians (CCP)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u272f Dr. Gihan Abeywardena<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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President<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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College of Psychiatrists, Sri Lanka<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u272f Dr. Nandika Harischandra<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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President<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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College of Pulmonologists, Sri Lanka<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u272f Dr. Anuji Gamage<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Secretary<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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College of Community Physicians, Sri Lanka<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u272f Pubudu Sumanasekara<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Executive Director<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Alcohol & Drug Information Centre (ADIC)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u272f Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Director<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Centre for Combating Tobacco (CCT)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(23rd November 2020) \u00a0 Tobacco prematurely kills 50% of its users and 20,000 Sri Lankans per year. It is also a major determinant of poverty at individual, household and community levels, contributing to the vicious cycles of under nutrition and lower economic productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) has clearly indicated an association between tobacco smoking and severe complications from COVID-19, including increasing risk for death. Thus, this is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[23,15],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1837"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1843,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1837\/revisions\/1843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sarccct.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}