ISLAMABAD: Tobacco industry is leaving no stone unturned to undo the great work done by the government to safeguard children and low-income group from the harms of tobacco.

These views were shared by health activists in a press release issued by the Society for the Protection of the Rights (Sparc).

According to activists, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had made a landmark decision of increasing the Federal Excise Duty on cigarettes in February.

However, the tobacco industry is trying to destroy this good work by using fake statistics of illicit trade and production to increase their profit at the expense of the national exchequer.

Country head of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Malik Imran said it was shocking that in a time period when taxes increased and production of the three major cigarette manufacturing companies declined, their turnover and gross profit still increased.

Former Technical Head, Tobacco Control Cell, Ministry of Health, Dr Ziauddin Islam said cigarette manufacturers had over-shifted the tax burden to consumers to increase their profitability.

Tobacco industry has used various tactics, such as front-loading and abrupt changes in production, to avoid tax hikes and influence tax policy, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2023