Kyrgyzstan Eyes Tobacco Tax Hikes as Core Strategy to Curb Smoking

Key Highlights:

·Kyrgyzstan held a meeting to discuss increasing tobacco taxes in order to reduce tobacco and nicotine consumption. 

·Approximately 6,000 Kyrgyzstani people aged 30 and above die from tobacco-related diseases each year. 

·The economic losses from cardiovascular diseases caused by tobacco consumption amount to as high as 1.7 billion som (19.43 million USD) annually.

According to K-News on June 10th, a conference with the theme "Effective Approaches to Reduce Tobacco and Nicotine Consumption: Simulated Tax Models in the Kyrgyz Republic" was held in the capital city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The conference was organized by the Public Health and Mass Communication Center of Kyrgyzstan in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Knowledge Hub, aiming to reduce the accessibility of tobacco products through effective tax policies.

Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Health, Erkin Checheibayev, pointed out during a meeting that raising tobacco consumption taxes is crucial for improving public health nationwide, especially for the younger generation.

According to estimates from the WHO, in Kyrgyzstan, tobacco-related diseases lead to the deaths of over 6,000 people aged 30 and above each year, including around 5,000 men and 1,000 women. Additionally, despite national tobacco control policies, the economic burden of tobacco-related cardiovascular diseases exceeds 1.7 billion som (19.43 million USD).

Data shows that in Kyrgyzstan, 30% of men aged 35 to 69 die from tobacco consumption, compared to 5% of women in the same age group, leading to a decrease in average lifespan by 21 years. Multiple studies by the World Health Organization indicate that raising the prices of tobacco products and implementing taxes is the most effective measure to reduce tobacco and nicotine consumption, as it makes these products unaffordable for young people.

Furthermore, economic research indicates that increasing taxes can raise the prices of tobacco products and decrease the consumption rates of tobacco among both adults and youth. For example, in developing countries, when the actual price of cigarettes increases by 10%, the number of children and adolescents who smoke decreases by 8%.

An analysis of the economic burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 2015 showed that Kyrgyzstan suffered overall economic losses (indirect costs) of 1.71 billion som (19.49 million USD) annually, equivalent to 3.9% of the country's GDP. Health care expenses for treating four types of NCDs accounted for one fifth of the direct costs. More than half of the losses were due to premature death, resulting in an economic loss of 1.04 billion som (11.85 million USD). The cost of policy measures to control tobacco use was 0.14 billion som (150,000 USD), while the cost of interventions for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes amounted to 17.5 billion som (100 million USD).