The Cabinet yesterday passed a draft amendment to raise the tax on cigarettes, as well as the health and welfare surcharge on tobacco, by NT$25 per packet in a bid to help 740,000 people quit smoking, or a decline of 20.8 percent, officials said yesterday.
Under the amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) and the Tobacco and Liquor Tax Act (菸酒稅法) approved at a Cabinet meeting, the health and welfare surcharge per pack of cigarettes would be raised to NT$40 from NT$20, while the tax on cigarettes would be increased to NT$16.8 from NT$11.8.
Even if the legislature approves the amendment, Taiwan would still not meet the standard set by the World Bank in which the tax, and health and wealth surcharge on cigarettes, should account for between 67 percent and 80 percent of the price, Department of Health Vice Minister Day Guey-ing (戴桂英) said.
Photo: CNA
Day said that an increase of NT$29 in the tax and surcharge is needed to meet the standard because the duties component currently accounts for only 54 percent of the price.
Cigarette prices are relatively low in Taiwan in comparison with the average price of NT$77 a packet in Thailand and NT$99 in Malaysia, but similar to the price of NT$68 in China, Day said.
Vice Minister of Finance William Tseng (曾銘宗) said the adjustments to the duties would result in a loss of NT$610 million (US$20.73 million) in tax revenue, but would bring in an additional NT$25 billion in health and welfare surcharges.
Photo: CNA
The revenues would be used to fund various welfare projects — to subsidize people who cannot afford to pay their health insurance premiums, on cancer screening, to set up care centers in remote areas and to fund vaccines for children, Day said.
Bureau of Health Promotion Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said the amendment would result in a long-term benefit of NT$296 billion, the savings in healthcare costs for people who quit smoking as a result of the increased duties and the productivity they contribute to the economy in the extended years they live after quitting smoking.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their