The Finance Department said smoking prevalence will decline by around 17 percent if the Senate approves the proposal to increase excise taxes on tobacco products by P60 per pack.
Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua said simulations developed jointly by the Finance and Health departments along with the World Health Organization indicated that the proposal by Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao to increase excise taxes on tobacco products to P60 per pack would bring down cigarette consumption by 16.8 percent and force 3.2 million adults to quit smoking.
Pacquiao’s measure”•Senate Bill No. 1599″•is similar to the DOF-DOH proposal to increase the excise tax on cigarettes, regardless of brand or price, to P60 per pack in the first year of implementation and an additional 9 percent per year thereafter. “‹