Today, 66 people will die from tobacco-related illness. Cutting the excise could make that figure skyrocket
A policy suggested by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to cut the tobacco excise could have a detrimental toll on Australia’s declining smoking rates, health experts say.
Earlier this week, One Nation proposed cutting the tax as a way to stamp down on the illegal tobacco trade, which has been terrorising small businesses across the country and increasing alleged gang-related attacks.
Cutting the tobacco excise could take a toll on Australia’s declining smoking rates. iStock
However, Cancer Council Australia CEO Jacinta Reddan told nine.com.au cutting the tax and lowering the cost of cigarettes could have devastating consequences for our health.
“This is not a political issue. It’s a basic public health issue,” she said.
“Australia has some of the world’s leading tobacco control measures in place that have saved lives.
“The rates of smoking have reduced significantly over the past decades, but still, today, 66 Australians will die from tobacco-related illnesses or cancers ... that’s 20 times the national road toll.”
According to several Australian studies, the financial cost of smoking has been a main driver of teens not picking up the habit.
Cutting the excise could change that.
“There’s a whole suite of measures has successfully driven down smoking rates in Australia in the last two decades, and have seen smoking halved over the past 25 years,” Reddan said.
“The tobacco excise, together with a range of other public health measures including plain packaging, advertising bans and behaviour change campaigns, has been really important in reducing the rates of smoking in Australia.”
Cancer Council CEO Jacinta Reddan warns of the health impacts of the move. AFR/Michael Perini
“When you look at this [issue] as [only] reducing the tobacco tax, we have to ask ourselves, will that reverse the life-saving changes that Australia has implemented over the decades?
“We also must ask who stands to benefit from a reduction in tobacco tax? It can only be Big Tobacco.”
Smoking is known to cause 16 different types of cancer. Current projections estimate 250,000 Australians will die from smoking-related cancers between 2020 and 2044.
The illegal tobacco trade is, of course, also a concern for the Cancer Council.
However, Reddan stressed changing the excise would be putting a public health decision “into the hands of criminals.”
“Why should we allow criminals to determine our public health measures?” she said.
Smoking kills 19,000 Australians a year, according to ABS. (Fortune) (Fortune)
“We have seen smoking halved over the past 25 years through a combination of measures. It’s not time to relinquish a public health discussion and turn that over to criminal games.”
Hanson announced her proposal to cut the tobacco excise by 75 per cent and pause indexation for three years on Tuesday.
If passed in full, it would drop the price of a $46.50 pack of legal cigarettes to an estimated $21 or $22.
“This is not about encouraging smoking. It is about restoring the rule of law and breaking the black market,” Hanson said.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson wants the tobacco excise to be slashed. Hilary Wardhaugh
Hanson said she would also match the cut with stronger border enforcement, faster shop closures, tougher penalties for traffickers and arsonists, and aggressive seizure of criminal assets and unexplained wealth.
“People are sick of the firebombing, shootings, extortion and killings. They are sick of watching tobacco shops burn, while organised crime takes control of the market,” she said.
“This is not a victimless crime.”
