Jakarta (VNA) – An official from Indonesia's Ministry of Health has recommended higher cigarette taxes to deter consumption, as cigarette prices in Indonesia are lower and more accessible compared to other countries in the region.
Benget Saragih, head of the ministry's working team for tobacco disease control, emphasised the need to increase the excise tax on tobacco to reduce smoking rates in Indonesia.
Nearly 38% of Indonesia’s 270 million people smoke—a much higher share than in neighboring countries such as Singapore. With this figure, Indonesia ranks 13th in the world in terms of cigarette consumption, Saragih said.
The recommendation comes in the context that the number of deaths caused by cigarette consumption has reached 8 million per year, according to Saragih. Seven million of the deaths are due to active smoking and the remaining 1.2 million due to passive smoking, he added./.
