2. Related reports
From 10, the ad valorem tax rate of cigarette wholesale countries is increased from 5% to 1 1%, and the specific tax is levied at 0.005 yuan per cigarette. The data shows that the price increase of cigarettes within 10 yuan is generally higher than that of 0.5 yuan, while that of 10 yuan is about 1 yuan, and that of 20 yuan is higher than that of 2 yuan. Many people believe that the substantial increase in tobacco tax will inevitably lead to the simultaneous increase in tobacco wholesale prices, thus achieving the effect of tobacco control.
However, what is the actual effect?
Teenagers are an important group of smokers, and they are the most obvious help to quit smoking. Some high school teachers think that a few small smokers in the class should be affected. Students often smoke the cheapest cigarettes, and will smoke less or quit smoking after the price increase. Facts have proved that raising taxes has a greater impact on minors. The price of tobacco increased 10%, and its sales among teenagers decreased 18%.
However, the influence on other social groups is obviously weakened. Judging from the latest data, most retailers in the country said that the sales of cigarettes were the same as before, and there was no sharp decline in sales.
For some old smokers, smoking a cigarette all the year round has become a habit. The rise of one or two yuan will hardly affect their love for tobacco, nor will it affect their choice of cigarette varieties. "What brand to smoke, how much to smoke has not changed."
If it is for the purpose of tobacco control, such an increase obviously did not impress most smokers.
But it is said that this tax increase will increase the government tax revenue by 20 billion yuan compared with last year. Will local governments stimulate the development of tobacco industry by tasting more benefits from tobacco economy?
How dependent is China's finance on the tobacco industry?
China's tax revenue per package accounts for about 40%, Thailand accounts for 63%, Singapore accounts for 64% and India accounts for 72%.
China is the largest tobacco producer and consumer in the world. According to the data of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the number of smokers in China exceeds 300 million, and the smoking rate of people above 15 is 28. 1%. According to statistics, more than 700 million people in China are exposed to secondhand smoke, and 1 10,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases every year.
Cigarettes are cheaper and easier to get in China. Taking last year's survey data as an example, the lowest price among cigarette brands in China is only about RMB per pack in 3 yuan, while the lowest cigarette prices in South Korea, Japan and Singapore are about 13.6 yuan, 33 yuan and 60 yuan respectively. Cheap cigarette prices increase the purchasing power of smokers.
However, China's finance is heavily dependent on tobacco tax revenue. On the one hand, raising taxes to control the tobacco industry, on the other hand, local governments rely on tobacco industry taxes and fees to encourage tobacco cultivation.
According to the statistics of the Institute of Industry and Economics of China Academy of Social Sciences, the tobacco industry in China has 500 billion yuan of assets and 60 million employees, contributing nearly110 fiscal revenue to the country every year. According to relevant media reports, in 20 14, the tobacco industry contributed 91/kloc-0.03 billion yuan in tax revenue to the country.
In some big provinces, the tax of tobacco industry is very high. Earlier, it was reported that 45% of Yunnan's tax revenue came from the tobacco industry.
The report "China Tobacco Tax and Its Potential Economic Impact" jointly issued by many domestic experts in finance, taxation and tobacco control shows that if the specific tax per pack of cigarettes in China is increased by 1 yuan, the government revenue will increase by 64.9 billion yuan.
However, the substantial increase in tobacco tax will directly curb the tobacco industry. For every increase of 1 yuan tax, the tobacco industry will lose about 5,500 jobs, and tobacco farmers may lose 6% of the total income, which will directly affect the tax revenue.
In China, the adjustment of cigarette tax rate is a complicated proposition. On the one hand, it will directly increase government revenue, on the other hand, it will indirectly damage local economic development. However, curbing the development of tobacco industry and reducing the number of smokers can also save medical and health expenses, which is a complicated account. However, the experience of various countries shows that it is effective to control tobacco by raising tobacco tax rate.
There is a good way to cure tobacco. How to adjust foreign tobacco tax?
According to the project report of more than 100 tobacco control researchers in 23 countries around the world, at present, more and more countries around the world choose to raise tobacco taxes to control tobacco, including developed and developing countries, which are using tax leverage to achieve "market-oriented tobacco control". Facts have proved that tobacco control through tax leverage is actually more effective than administrative ban.
At the recent16th World Conference on Tobacco and Health held in Abu Dhabi, health experts and government officials called for controlling tobacco consumption. Experts attending the meeting said that in high-income countries, if the country raises the tax on tobacco products 10%, consumption will usually drop by 4%.
South Korea has greatly increased the price of cigarettes this year. The price of a pack of cigarettes rose from 2,500 won (about RMB 14. 10 yuan) to 4,500 won (about RMB 25.39). In the survey, 9 1% people are determined to quit smoking within the year, and 70% of them said they would quit smoking because of the rising price of cigarettes. There are even shops selling individual cigarettes on the streets of Seoul.
In Japan, the price of a pack of cigarettes doubled from 1988 to 20 14, and the smoking rate dropped from 70% to 20%.
In South Africa, from 1993 to 2009, the total tax burden of cigarettes increased from 32% of the retail price to 52%, while the sales volume of cigarettes decreased by 30% in the same period. While reducing cigarette sales, the government's tobacco tax has increased eight times, and the adult smoking rate has dropped from 32% to 20.5%.
Tobacco tax in Turkey has increased by 84.2% since 2008, and tobacco consumption has decreased by 13% so far. WHO pointed out that Turkey is a typical example of using tobacco tax to achieve good smoking ban effect.
China has raised the price of cigarettes, but smokers are very calm, and smoking control is hard to achieve results. It can be seen that the increase of 10% has not peaked, and there is still room for further increase. It is estimated that relevant departments will increase it in the future. But how to rise is more determined by fiscal revenue. To control tobacco, besides legislation, law enforcement and tax adjustment, it may be necessary to fundamentally change the mode of economic growth, supplemented by more publicity and guidance.