Raising taxes on tobacco products small step in right direction: health experts.

ISLAMABAD -- Health experts, in a press release on Saturday, expressed satisfaction over government's decision to increase taxation on tobacco products while putting forward recommendations for future to save millions of lives from harms of tobacco products.

The Society for Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) applauded the government's move to increase taxes on tobacco products for the first time in four years, said the press release.

SPARC Programme Manager Khalil Ahmed Dogar stated that government should have considered the growing inflation rate while finalizing the taxes on tobacco products for fiscal year 2022-23. Due to a rise in inflation and upward trend in the dollar price, the prices of tobacco products should be raised accordingly, he added.

He said that although this was a small step but it was in right direction, which would not only reduce the tobacco consumption and its accessibility, but would also keep the minors off from tobacco.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) Country Head Malik Imran...