Price on tobacco products decreases

By Azernews

By Sara Israfilbayova

Price on tobacco products in May decreased by 0.9 percent, as compared to April and by 16.2 percent in comparison with May 2017.

The State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan reported that 1.275 billion cigarettes were produced in the country in first five months of the year, which is 4.2 times more than in the same period of last year.

Currently, the country eyes to minimize the import of tobacco products. To this end, the manufacturer of tobacco products Tabaterra will build a factory of tobacco products in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park.

Taking into account the market demand, the factory, capable of producing 10 billion cigarettes, is able to fully meet the country’s demand for tobacco products.

Earlier, country manager of the World Bank (WB) Naveed Hassan Naqvi repeatedly made proposals to the Azerbaijani government to increase excise taxes on tobacco products and thereby, raising prices, to limit the population’s access to cigarettes. In his opinion, this will increase revenues to the state budget, and will positively affect the health of the nation, limiting the number of smokers.

The Azerbaijani government heard calls from the WB experts and increased excise taxes on manufactured tobacco products in the country.

Smoking is common throughout the world, and getting people out of tobacco dependence today is becoming a priority for many states.

Smoking is recognized as a chronic disease and included in the "International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems". There are more than 25 diseases that develop or their course worsens under the influence of smoking.

Smoking is being prohibited as it is decreed that smokers’ habits are setting a bad example to others, particularly children. Such prohibitions already exist in such countries as the U.S., Finland, Ukraine, Great Britain, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Syria, Egypt and etc.

Azerbaijan, which also fights against smoking, adopted the Law “On Restriction of the Use of Tobacco Products” on December 1, 2017.

In accordance with the law, smoking is forbidden throughout the territory of various educational institutions, in hotels, health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, health resorts, social facilities, theaters and cinemas, at exhibitions, reading rooms, libraries, museums and other cultural institutions, in underground and overground crossings, buses (including intercity and international), taxis, metro, air, railway, sea and river transport, bus stops, railway stations, river and sea ports, airports, elevators, common areas of multi-apartment buildings, in buildings and enterprises where flammable substances are stored, on playgrounds, beaches, workplaces of organizations, enterprises, offices, regardless of organizational and legal form and ownership.

Allocation of places for smoking will be transferred to the discretion of employers. In addition, municipalities are given additional powers to take action against the use of tobacco products. They will take steps to restrict the use of tobacco products.