Health Levy.

According to the World Health Organization, eight million (80 lacs) people worldwide die from smoking-related diseases yearly. Among them, twelve lac people do not smoke themselves but are exposed to its smoke due to smoking in the environment. More than one billion people worldwide smoke, of which eighty percent (80%) are from developing countries. In Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia, the rate of smoking is increasing rapidly, and the main reason for this increase is the young population of these countries. In developed countries, sixty percent (60%) of men in Japan and China are smokers. Moreover, Twelve percent (12%) of the smoking population includes women, while one lac children start smoking every day.

According to my observation, it has been seen that many talented and good boys are ruined due to smoking. According to medical experts, an average smoker dies fifteen (15) years earlier since one cigarette shortens a person's life by eight minutes because it contains more than Four thousand (4,000) harmful substances.

Pakistan signed and ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004, wherein signatory countries are required to increase excise duty on cigarettes to Seventy percent (70%) and pictorial warnings to Eighty-Five percent (85%) are mandatory on cigarette packs. However, Pakistan is lagging so far since anticipating the Convention on Tobacco Control.

In June 2019, after removing the objections of the concerned departments, a health levy bill was presented to the federal cabinet in which it was decided to impose a health levy on the products. This decision was taken to protect the health of low-income or middle-class groups and children by keeping tobacco products out of their reach. But, it is regrettable that some key government members of the time repeatedly obstructed the implementation of this initiative. Because, for them, the development of the tobacco industry was more important than public health. Indeed, National development at the cost of public health is useless.

Currently, the tobacco industry claims to be the largest tax-paying company in the country. Still, its contribution to the national exchequer is far less than it should be. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), tobacco consumption has a health burden of Rupees six hundred fifteen (615) billion, which is (1.6%) percent of our (GDP), compared to a mere Rupees one hundred fifteen (115) billion in revenue...