Accra, Feb. 1, GNA – Mr John Frimpong Osei, the Chair of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture has given the assurance of Parliament’s commitment to support proposals on tobacco tax increment, approval and implementation.
“I wish to state that as a Member in Parliament, we will be available to support the proposals that will be coming from the Tax Policy officials on the tobacco tax reforms and propose tax increment for onward approval and implementation,” he said.
He urged the media to highlight the importance of tobacco taxation and the benefits the country seeks to derive.
Mr Osei, who is the Member of Parliament for Abirem gave the assurance at a National Stakeholders Meeting on Tobacco Taxation in Ghana organized by the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a civil society organisation in collaboration with the Ghana Revenue Authority in Accra.
He called on the citizenry to support the recommendations put forth in a study report on “Economics of Tobacco Control in Ghana” by VALD, to improve public health and to raise additional resources to support the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda.
Mr Osei, who is also the Chair of the Ghana African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows, said research had shown that higher taxes on tobacco products reduced tobacco consumption and improved public health and helped to generate substantial domestic revenue for investments for the benefit of the population.
“As MP and Chair of the Ghana African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows, I can confidently say that we welcome this innovation of generating domestic revenue that will fund development project of government,” he stated.
The MP said: “We are told via studies that if countries increase their excise taxes to raise prices on tobacco, (alcohol and sugary beverages) by 50 per cent, over 50 million premature deaths would be avoided worldwide over the next 50 years.
“Ghana must take advantage of this opportunity to curb the havoc of tobacco and unhealthy products and raise substantial revenue to expand our health delivery, while also achieving the ultimate goal of a Ghana beyond aid.”
It is estimated that eight million people die globally as a result of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke, the World Health Organization and World Banks’ report on “Curbing the Epidemic of Tobacco,” projected an annual 10 million global death if effective tobacco control interventions are not implemented. Sadly, low and middle-income countries including Ghana are the hardest hit.
Mr Osei said: “Tobacco as we have all heard has no known benefit to us as humans. It afflicts untold hardship to the user, his families, and the entire nation. The use of tobacco and exposure to tobacco smoke causes cancers, cardiovascular and heart diseases, infertility, among other diseases.”
He noted that the healthcare cost of treating tobacco-related diseases was high, hence the urgent need to reverse the trend by effectively implementing the Tobacco Control Measures of the Public Health (Act 851) and the Tobacco Control Regulations (LI 2247) passed and adopted in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
Mr Osei commended VALD and the Tax Justice Network Africa, an organization into advocacy work, especially on tobacco taxation and illicit financial flows for producing the study report on Economics of Tobacco Control in Ghana.
He urged the Ministry of Finance, the Tax Policy Unit and Ghana Revenue Authority to further review and consider where appropriate the recommendations put forth in the report.
GNA