Tobacco spending accounts for more than 10% of low-income household spending.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global economic loss caused by tobacco is 1,400 billion USD each year. Tobacco is also the cause of deforestation and environmental pollution. Every year, about 5% of the forest area is destroyed to grow tobacco, as well as to get wood to dry tobacco. It is estimated that every year, 18 billion trees are needed to make firewood to dry tobacco. The use of tobacco releases into the environment every year about 3,000 to 6,000 tons of formaldehyde, 12,000 to 47,000 tons of nicotine and 300 to 600 million kg of toxic waste from cigarette butts.

Many studies also show that in low-income cases, tobacco spending accounts for more than 10% of household expenditure, taking away from the cost of necessities such as food.

According to analysts, a smoker spends an average of 5,000-6,000 VND per day on cigarettes, and a person may have to spend about 2 million VND per year on cigarettes.

According to the 2015 global survey on tobacco use among adults, Vietnam has about 15 million smokers. Thus, on average, Vietnamese people have to spend about 30,000 billion VND just to buy cigarettes.

In the 2015 global survey on tobacco use among adults, it was reported that 31,000 billion VND is the amount of money Vietnamese people spent to buy.

In addition, tobacco smoke reduces air quality, affecting the safety of homes, workplaces, transport systems and public spaces. Where smoking rates are significantly higher than in other areas, living conditions are even worse in slums.

Many experts believe that cigarette prices in Vietnam are among the lowest in the world . In order to fairly compare cigarette prices between countries, the price of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in each country is converted to international dollars. According to this conversion unit, the average price of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in Vietnam is 2.82 dollars, only half of the average price of all countries in the world ($5.62/pack).

To reduce tobacco use in Vietnam, there have been many proposals to increase tobacco taxes and ban tobacco advertising, promotion, and direct marketing to consumers in all forms.

Last June, the National Assembly passed the amended Law on Special Consumption Tax, in which the special consumption tax on cigarettes is levied according to a roadmap, in which the absolute tax on cigarettes from January 1, 2031 is 10,000 VND/pack.

Increasing tobacco taxes not only helps reduce smoking rates, but also protects the health of people and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco.

In addition to strengthening the enforcement of the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, authorities need to step up inspections and checks; strictly handle violations; focusing on handling violations of smoking bans in public places, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals; violations of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and trading of smuggled tobacco products.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/y-te/tien-mua-thuoc-la-chiem-hon-10-chi-tieu-ho-gia-dinh-thu-nhap-thap-i783267/