The Department of Health yesterday came under fire in the legislature for its draft amendment to the Tobacco Control Act (菸害防治法), which lawmakers criticized as failing to meet global standards.
After the World Health Organization's first global public health treaty -- the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) -- took effect in February, the health authority has stepped up efforts to curtail tobacco consumption.
To bring the seven-year-old Tobacco Control Act in line with the landmark health treaty, the Department of Health proposed to double the health tax levied on every pack of cigarettes from NT$5 to NT$10.
The bill is slated for review next Wednesday in the Legislative Yuan.
"Price increases are the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal," Minister of Health Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) said at the legislature yesterday.
"Research by the World Bank shows that a 10 percent price increase can drive down tobacco consumption by 4 percent to 8 percent," Hou said.
But legislators and some anti-smoking groups slammed the measure, saying that price hikes alone will not curb tobacco consumption.
"Price increases serve as a mere dissuasion. We need to overhaul the Tobacco Control Act to ban cigarette advertising and promotion," said Hwang Jenn-tai (黃鎮台), chief executive of John Tung Foundation.
Huang said the tobacco industry will always be able to form strategies to counter price hikes.
"For instance, we heard that tobacco companies plan to launch smaller packs, containing 10 cigarettes, at half the current price," Hwang said.
"If the smaller packs hit the market, this could make cigarettes more affordable for teenagers," Hwang added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) berated the government for focusing solely on health taxes.
"The government should have more foresight and keep pace with the FCTC. The law should be revised in four areas: A ban on smoking in public places, [a requirement for] a warning sign that occupies at least 60 percent of a cigarette's package, an increase in health taxes to NT$15, and a complete ban on tobacco advertising and promotion," Ting said.
The FCTC, which aims to curb tobacco consumption and end tobacco advertising, gives parties to the treaty three years to add strong health warnings to cigarette packages and five years to ban advertising, promotion and sponsorship of such products.
In an apparent backlash against the official version, Ting and 60 other legislators drafted a stricter revision to the act that meets the requirements of the FCTC.
"As Taiwan is drumming up support for its bid for WHO observership, shouldn't the government work harder to realize the spirit of the WHO's first and sole global health treaty?" Ting said.
Amid the disputes, the draft initiated by legislators from across the political spectrum failed to pass first reading at a legislative committee meeting yesterday afternoon.
Both the official version and the legislators' draft will be on the law-making body's agenda next week.
Currently, there are 4.9 million smokers in Taiwan.
Every year, over 18,800 people die from tobacco-related illnesses, according to official statistics.
The nation spends about NT$30 billion on treating tobacco-related diseases.
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