Gov't to increase tax on tobacco to discourage smokers

During the celebrations gearing up for the 27th World No Tobacco Day held in Yaoundé, on May 29, it was proposed that the Cameroon government should increase the tax on tobacco so as to limit smoking in the country.

The Cameroon Coalition against Tobacco (C3T) made this proposal during the official ceremony to mark the World No Tobacco Day that took place in Tsinga -Yaoundé.

This is in keeping with this year’s theme: "Increasing taxes on tobacco," Dr. Flora Ndembiyembe, President of the C3T, made the suggestion in the presence of the representative of Minister of Public Health, Dr. Collins Dooh.

The C3T President recalled that the tobacco smoking is the leading cause of death in the world" Six million tobacco-related deaths are also recorded annually.

And Cameroon is not spared. According to a WHO study conducted in 2008, the prevalence of smoking in Cameroon is 17.5 %, and this figure rises to 37% when exposure to smoke in public places is taken into account.

"These alarming data is, as a result, of the low price of tobacco in Cameroon, that is among the lowest in the world.

The higher the price, the lower the consumption is high, and the number of patients and smoking-related deaths is increasing, “said Dr. Flora Ndembiyembe.

The organizers believed that this year’s theme is an invitation to the State for an increase in tobacco prices through tax so that its consumption decreases, especially among the poorest.

And the C3T proposed that the government should create spaces for non-smoking, the prohibition of retail, the total ban on advertising of tobacco products.

These provisions could be included, according to the Coalition members in the national tobacco control law.