Finance Minister reaffirms Government’s commitment to WHO FCTC Article 6 in tobacco control efforts
The Minister for Finance, Dr Amin Mohammed Adam has made a clarion call to all stakeholders and the public to rally behind efforts to reduce and clear out tobacco products off the market to ensure effective sustainable development.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister, Mr Hendrick Dwomoh-Mensah, Principal Economics Officer of the Ministry made this remark at the maiden National Forum on Tobacco Taxation organized by the Vision for Alternative Development, Ghana (VALD-Ghana), reiterating the threat of the product on the health of citizens.
“As we may be aware, Article ‘6’ of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) WHO FCTC encourages price and tax measures as the most effective means to reduce the demand for tobacco, including increasing taxes to raise the sales price of tobacco products and prohibiting or restricting sales of tax- and duty-free tobacco products,” he stated
According to Dr Adam, the Government has not relented in its efforts to reduce tobacco usage since the evolution of excise taxes on tobacco prior 2007 to date, asserting the excise taxes on tobacco has witnessed several reforms in the tax structures from flat ad-valorem to specific excise duty, to ad-valorem in 2010 until recently a mixed structure.
“This not only demonstrates the Government’s commitment towards these Conventions but also our remarkable strides in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) ‘3’ by 2030, which aims to prevent needless suffering from preventable diseases and premature death by focusing on key targets that boost the health of a country’s overall population,” he noted.
The Minister said it was alarming to note that the global e-cigarette market was valued by Euromonitor International at over $32 billion a year in 2022 and E-Vapour was worth $19 billion.
“Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) sales, and Electronic Non-Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENNDS) facilitated the growth of tobacco companies by maintaining nicotine addiction and recruiting younger consumers. In Europe, these companies have been able to market them as healthier alternatives to smoking,” he quipped.
Dr Adam said it was therefore an undeniable fact that the more informed the government was about the sophisticated tactics employed by the tobacco industry, the more effective the nation could impose tobacco control measures including tax policies.
He commended the efforts of VALD-Ghana, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority, WHO, IMF and other civil society organizations who had constantly brought to the fore some of these deceptive schemes.
