Expedite passage of Tobacco Excise Duty Amendment Bill to save lives, boost revenue – VALD-Ghana to Parliament
The Vision for Alternative Development, Ghana (VALD-Ghana), in conjunction with some civil society organizations, have petitioned Parliament to quickly pass the Tobacco Excise Duty Amendment Bill, 2023. The CSOs noted that the passage of the Excise Duty Amendment Bill will curb the excessive consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages, which causes diseases and death. The...
FDA proposes tobacco rules to make manufacturing more consistent and ingredients more transparent
The US Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it is proposing new requirements for tobacco companies that would help prevent contamination of their products and set some standards for the way they make and package products so regulators and consumers will know precisely what is in them. The proposed rules would apply to all FDA-regulated bulk...
BAT calls on Govt to help fight illicit trade
BAT Uganda has called upon the Government to ramp up efforts to curb illicit trade in cigarettes, which it says is impacting the sustainability of its business. In its 2022 performance results, the company says it recorded a 6% revenue growth, to Shs99.5 billion. Profit before tax dropped by 6% to Shs14.3 billion, reflecting a...
New smoking and cannabis laws in the pipeline for South Africa this year
South Africa is set to see some major changes to tobacco, vape and cannabis smoking this year with a handful of new regulations in the pipeline. New bills relating to smoking form part of the 42 bills before Parliament, which include a mix of consequential, medium-level and minor legislation, said the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG). The PMG...
Get ready to pay more for cigarettes and alcohol in South Africa
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana has announced that taxes on cigarettes and alcohol will be raised in 2023 – but lovers of sugary drinks will catch a break. Delivering his 2023 budget speech, the minister said that no major tax developments were being announced for 2023, at least on the budget’s revenue side. This was due to...
Zimbabwe’s tobacco crop grows, despite high fertilizer costs
Zimbabwe, Africa's largest tobacco producer, opened its tobacco-selling season Wednesday, with a speech by the vice president and eager international buyers. The size of the tobacco crop increased despite increased fertilizer prices caused by the war in Ukraine. Zimbabwe expects to harvest 230 million kilograms (254,000 tons) of the golden leaf this season, up from...
Raising tobacco taxes is a win-win for governments
This week, technical experts from the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Revenue Authorities, Ministries of Health in Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar and WHO Country Office are meeting to deep dive into tobacco taxation - the most effective and most cost-effective measure to reduce tobacco consumption. Through technical assistance from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco...
Kenya anti-smoking activists face new challenge in tobacco substitutes
Increasing use of e-cigarettes has posed challenges to tobacco control in Kenya, a major tobacco control organization in the country said, calling for effective regulations over e-cigarettes and other tobacco substitutes. According to Thomas Lindi, the coordinator of the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance — a non-governmental organization fighting the use of tobacco in Kenya —...
Teens who turn to vaping report more anxiety, depression
For decades, people turned to cigarettes in times of stress. Now, a preliminary study hints that young people are using vaping in the same way. The study, of nearly 2,000 U.S. teenagers and young adults, found that those who vaped nicotine or marijuana were more likely to report anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts. In fact,...
NEW REPORT – The Price We Pay: Six Industry Pricing Strategies That Undermine Life-Saving Tobacco Taxes
A report published by global tobacco industry watchdog STOP entitled The Price We Pay reveals that tobacco companies in Africa and around the world are using pricing strategies to weaken the impact of tax increases designed to reduce the health and economic costs of tobacco use. The report highlights six industry pricing strategies that undermine life-saving tobacco...
