Taxing tobacco to fund the fight against the Coronavirus? In Pakistan, it's a yes.

In Pakistan, Sajjad Ahmed Cheema, executive director of the Society for the Protection of Children's Rights (SPARC), announced that the government would increase taxes on tobacco products and soft drinks to allocate the new financial resources to combat the coronavirus pandemic.[1].

The country is currently experiencing the full force of the spread of the Coronavirus, for which the fragile health system is not prepared, especially since the latter suffers particularly from the effects of smoking: each year, 160,000 Pakistanis die due to their tobacco consumption. Smoking continues to grow in the country due to an aggressive commercial and marketing strategy on the part of the tobacco industry (low prices, advertising, organization of illicit trade and smuggling), and the demographic vitality of the region.[2].

According to Malik Imran Ahmed of Tobacco Free Kid, these surcharges of 1 to 10 rupees on tobacco products and soft drinks would quickly generate billions in revenue, while reducing the accessibility of these products, whose health impact on younger generations is no longer in doubt.

A coordinated, regular, and significant tax increase, leading to higher tobacco prices, remains the most effective lever for reducing smoking prevalence in a population, particularly among young people and the most disadvantaged. This provision is also provided for in the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which Pakistan has ratified and committed to implementing.

As the tobacco industry ramps up corporate social responsibility communications efforts, seeking to capitalize on the pandemic to improve its public image, reallocating additional taxes on tobacco products to a fund dedicated to combating the pandemic appears to be a relevant solution, especially given that smokers are more likely to develop severe forms of Coronavirus.