Health Ministry Official Calls for Sevenfold Increase in Cigarette Tax

A health ministry official stated that Iran ranks second to Afghanistan in terms of tobacco taxation in the region, and that cigarette taxes in the country should be increased sevenfold. Khosrow Sadegh-Niat, head of the Environmental and Occupational Health Center of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, told the IRNA news agency on Saturday, June 3, that according to the World Health Organization, Iran is "behind all countries in the region except Afghanistan" in cigarette taxation. He added that based on WHO estimates, a 10% increase in tobacco product taxes at the retail level would reduce consumption by 8%. Sadegh-Niat mentioned that the Ministry of Health had proposed a 25% tax on tobacco products at the retail level to the parliament, which was rejected. He noted that if this proposal were approved in the tenth parliament, "Iran would be in a suitable position among countries worldwide in terms of combating tobacco and collecting taxes on it." Currently, "the tax on domestic cigarettes is about 10% of the factory price," he stated. He also pointed out that the price difference between a pack of cigarettes at the factory and retail is significant, with profits going to tobacco dealers, who, according to this health official, "influence and hinder successful tobacco control efforts." The head of the Environmental and Occupational Health Center also mentioned that the ministry is trying to address this "legal deficiency" through consultations with parliament and the efforts of "health-seeking representatives." Tobacco consumption statistics in Iran have been declared "concerning" by health officials due to the low tax rate on this commodity compared to many countries worldwide. Mohammad Hossein Ghorbani, deputy head of the Health and Treatment Commission of the parliament, stated in April that 10 to 20 billion tomans are spent daily on treating smokers in the country. Ghorbani reminded that Iran is committed to significantly reducing tobacco consumption annually under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and "the best factor for reducing tobacco consumption is increasing taxes on it." Currently, nearly 7.7 million people in Iran consume various tobacco products, and 4% of all deaths over the age of 30 are attributed to tobacco use. According to survey results published last year, alcohol is the second most consumed substance in Iran after cigarettes. The consumption of hookah and other substances ranks next, but no data has been released on their figures and statistics. Official statistics indicate that there are about 130,000 alcohol addicts and between 1.5 to 3 million drug addicts in Iran. The same statistics estimate the number of alcohol consumers at one million and the number of drug users between seven to ten million. In this context, "10 to 20 billion tomans" is the cost of treating smokers in Iran, while the "increased" consumption of alcoholic beverages "in southern provinces of Iran" shows that after cigarettes, alcohol has the highest consumption in Iran. Annually, about "500,000" Iranians suffer from heart and brain strokes, and there are warnings about the dangers of electronic cigarettes.