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Comments: Cigarette workers against rising tax
About 3,000 cigarette workers rallied in front of the customs and excise office in Malang, East Java, on Monday to protest the government decision to increase cigarette excise as of January next year
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em>About 3,000 cigarette workers rallied in front of the customs and excise office in Malang, East Java, on Monday to protest the government decision to increase cigarette excise as of January next year.
"The increase of excise tax only burdens small cigarette producers," rally coordinator Heri Susianto said in his oration, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Your comments:
If the government is really concerned about improving citizens' health, they must provide or create other employment sectors to anticipate the side effects of increasing the cigarette excise. I don't think this is about people against anti-smoking action, it's about people struggling to feed their families.
Yesy
Bali
Suminah in Malang hit the nail on the head: A higher excise will increase the price of tobacco products and consequently less people will be able to afford them; and less people will get smoking-related illnesses such as cancer!
It is time for tobacco farmers to grow different crops such as vegetables or short-term grain crops.
Henry Manoe
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara
Removing the excise would be tantamount to the government subsidizing an addictive drug.
It is regrettable to see and hear of the loss of peoples' jobs. But the government has to decide what the purpose of the excise is: to save lives by putting tobacco beyond the financial reach of people?
Or to bolster government revenue? Now the government is being asked to save jobs. What is more important - revenue, jobs or lives?
Nairdah
Sydney
