'€œTherefore, apart from the pictorial warnings, the government needs to increase tobacco taxes to 57 percent of retail prices, up from the current 30 percent,'€ Tulus Abadi of the YLKI said in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He went on to say that tobacco tax increases were much more effective at reducing smoking rates, as they would lead to higher cigarette prices. He added that compared to other countries, Indonesia had a low tobacco tax, and that an increase was needed to make people think twice before buying tobacco products.

Citing data, Tulus said the number of smokers in Indonesia had reached 75 million persons out of a total population of 253 million.

'€œWe should keep the number from growing further and reduce it if it is possible,'€ said Tulus, adding that as a next step, the government should tighten regulations on cigarette marketing and advertising.

Government Regulation (PP) No.109/2012 on tobacco control stipulates that cigarette packages circulating in the market must bear pictorial warnings. The law became mandatory on June 24.

The regulation also stipulates that manufacturers must report the inclusion of health warnings and product information printed on tobacco product packages to authorities, along with samples of the packages.

According to the Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM), only 13.44 percent of cigarette packages circulating in the market currently bear the warnings. (fss/ebf)

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