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Govt to cut tobacco imports, increase cigarette excise
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Livelihoods – Female workers select dried tobacco leaves. The East Java administration has claimed the ratification of the FCTC would affect the livelihoods of people in the province, many of whom depend on tobacco to make a living. (thejakartapost.com/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)
T
he Indonesian government plans to take bolder measures to mitigate the health impacts of tobacco use, in line with the tobacco control guidelines stipulated in the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), a minister has said.
“The President [Joko “Jokowi” Widodo] has said that the government aimed to decrease tobacco imports and increase its cigarette excise [as recommended by the FCTC], but the Finance Ministry will first calculate all costs that will result from the policies. This includes how many workers might be affected by the tobacco-control policies," Nila said after a limited meeting at the State Palace on Tuesday.
President Jokowi said that the nation must seriously consider the impacts of ratifying the FCTC, which would not only be felt in the health sector but also in the tobacco industry and the country’s economy overall, she explained.
Nila said that during meeting, the President had also demanded the Industry Ministry review the 2015 Tobacco Industry Roadmap. Under the roadmap, the tobacco industry plans to double cigarette production to 524.2 billion cigarettes by 2020.
Nila said the government would hold another limited meeting on the FCTC ratification soon, before making a final decision about whether it would ratify the convention.
Indonesia is the only country in Asia that has not yet ratified the framework. According to the WHO, 180 countries, representing 90 percent of the world’s population, have ratified the FCTC as of July 2013.
The FCTC contains provisions on pricing, smoke-free areas, cigarette packaging and labeling, and taxation and prohibition of advertising, promotions and sponsorship. It also has provisions on the handling of illegal cigarettes and assistance for tobacco farmers and cigarette industry workers. (ebf)
