Jamaica’s Move to Increase Tobacco Taxes Will Save Lives, Curb Tobacco Use
Statement of Patricia Sosa, Director of Latin America and Caribbean Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids joins leading Jamaican public health groups in congratulating the government of Jamaica for increasing the price of cigarettes through new tobacco taxes. Raising the price of cigarettes through taxes is the single most effective policy to drive down tobacco use and save lives.
The increased taxes will take effect in May of this year and are expected to generate more than one billion Jamaican dollars (approximately $6.4 million), a vital measure that directly supports the health and welfare of all Jamaicans.
The newly announced measures also include a special consumption tax on non-alcoholic sweetened beverages, covering drinks with added sugar or artificial/non-nutritive sweeteners, whether locally produced or imported. This measure rightly reflects the government’s stated intention to advance public health objectives through the new tax policy.
Though increased tobacco taxes are the most effective measure to drive down rates of tobacco use, the policy is among the least utilized by governments around the world in part because tobacco companies fight tooth and nail to dissuade governments from introducing strong tax policies and other lifesaving public health measures.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds the Jamaican government for adopting this urgently needed public health policy. The new measure comes as other crucial public health measures remain stalled in the country – including a tobacco control bill that should swiftly be adopted by the country’s parliament.
Tobacco use is the world’s leading cause of preventable death. Jamaica and other countries in the Caribbean should use every tool at their disposal to curb tobacco use, save lives and drive a healthier future for all.