By Albert Allotey, GNA
Accra, July 12, GNA – The Vision for Alternative Development – Ghana (VALD-Ghana) has called on the Government to amend the Tobacco Control Law to disallow the sale of cigarettes in “kiddie packs” smaller packs that contain 10 sticks.
It said if the small packs were allowed it would make cigarettes affordable to the youth, the poor and the vulnerable.
It stated that the tobacco industry has been exposed of lobbying the Pakistani government to amend its laws to export kiddie packs to Sudan and that there were currently petitions from pubic health advocates to stop this from happening.
The VALD-Ghana also urged the government to continue to raise the tobacco taxes to meet the World Health Organisation’s best practice recommendation of at least 75 per cent of tobacco’s retail price.
It recommended regular reviews of the taxes by increasing them, at least annually, to keep tobacco less affordable relative to inflation and increasing wages.
Mr Labram Musah, the Executive Director of VALD-Ghana, made the call in an address at the National Forum on Tobacco Taxation in Ghana.
It was on the theme: “Strengthening the Evidence for Effective Tobacco Taxation for Health and Development,” to underscore the critical intersection of public health policy and evidence-based research.
The forum was aimed at addressing the social, health, environmental, and economic impacts of tobacco use through effective taxation while enhancing stakeholders’ capacity to prevent the tobacco industry interference.
Mr Musah said: “Let me state that the tobacco industry is the reason for many of our health problems, especially the chronic ones that are affecting all of us directly and indirectly.”
He said the government must continue to simplify the tobacco tax structures to avoid the industry manipulations of their products into lower tax categories.
The occasion was used to launch three reports – the Ghana Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023, the Baseline Assessment of Tobacco Taxation in Ghana 2024, and Novel and Emerging Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Ghana 2024.
Mr Musah urged stakeholders to leverage these reports to fortify their tobacco control strategies, adding that; “Your insights, expertise, and commitment are crucial in shaping policies that safeguard the health of our citizens, particularly our youth.
The forum was organised through the collaborative effort of VALD-Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana NCD Alliance, and the Media Alliance in Tobacco.
The Executive Director expressed gratitude to Tax Justice Network Africa for its technical and financial support.
GNA