According to a report by Edition on August 6, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) of the Maldives recently suggested imposing additional taxes on tobacco products to reduce their usage rates.
According to a post on the Ministry of Health website in the Maldives titled "Let's Save Children and Youth from the Harmful Effects of Tobacco," the Health Protection Agency (HPA) expressed concerns about the rising rates of e-cigarette and nicotine pouch usage among adolescents. The agency advocates for increased taxation to regulate these products and suggests using some of the tax revenue for tobacco control and health promotion efforts.
According to the 2021-2022 survey on risk factors for non-communicable diseases, children in the Maldives are starting to use tobacco as early as eight years old. The Global School Health Survey also indicates that some children are starting to smoke before the age of seven, which has raised significant concerns at the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
According to survey data, the tobacco use rate among children aged 13 to 17 was 14.7% in 2009, this proportion decreased to 12.3% in 2014. This decline was attributed to the implementation of smoke-free zone regulations in the Maldives. However, the 2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey showed that the tobacco use rate among children increased from 4.3% in 2011 to 4.7% in 2019. During the same period, the overall proportion of children smoking also jumped from 11.2% to 45.7%.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has pointed out that the Maldives spends around 1.8 billion Maldivian rufiyaa (approximately 110 million USD) annually on importing four billion cigarettes. In addition, a significant amount of funds is used to import tobacco needed for e-cigarettes and waterpipes. The national health insurance program (Aasandha) also incurs huge expenses for treating tobacco-related diseases.
The Health Promotion Authority (HPA) has expressed concern over the increasing prevalence of tobacco-related diseases, and is calling for action to ban the advertising and marketing of tobacco products, prevent the emergence of new smokers, and monitor the tobacco trade. They also suggest strengthening regulations on smoking bans in public places to reduce tobacco exposure and protect the rights of non-smokers.
Currently, the Maldives imposes higher import taxes on tobacco products compared to other goods.
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