Today the Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control released the following statement:
The Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC) commends the Minister of Finance, Audley Shaw, for increasing the excise tax on tobacco products. The increase was announced by Minister Shaw in Parliament on May 12, 2016. The Special Consumption Tax (SCT) per stick will move from $12.00 to $14.00, a 16.6% increase.
The increase shows that the Government of Jamaica continues to be committed to meeting its treaty obligations, under the World Health Organization, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO/FCTC), particularly Article 6, which seeks to use taxation as a price measure to reduce the demand for tobacco products.
Research from dozens of countries, including Jamaica, clearly shows that increasing the real (i.e. inflation-adjusted) price of tobacco is the single most effective measure in reducing tobacco use among youth and adults alike.
Unfortunately, the recently announced adjustment of the SCT to $14 per stick falls short of bringing Jamaica to the current best practice recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of at least 70% of the price of the product being due to taxation. Therefore, the JCTC encourages the Minister to make this the beginning of a stepwise increase in tobacco taxes in the interest of meeting both public health and revenue targets. In addition the JCTC recommends that the Government of Jamaica adjust the SCT on an annual basis to ensure that, at a minimum, the SCT increases by the inflation rate.
Globally increasing taxes assist Governments in recouping some of the tremendous cost of the health burden of tobacco use, encourages smokers to quit and others never to start and most importantly makes the product less affordable to the youth, often the target of tobacco industry’s advertising and sponsorship.
The JCTC is not surprised by the continued efforts of the tobacco industry to, in its self-interest, use the threat of illicit trade in lobbying against effective tobacco control policies. However, the actual evidence worldwide points to issues of corruption and border security as the real determinants of smuggling, rather than increased taxes. In fact, some of the European countries with the highest tobacco taxes have the lowest levels of illicit trade.
The JCTC believes the Government of Jamaica and the Jamaican Customs Department have taken the issue of illicit trade in tobacco products very seriously and have been taking steps to identify illicit imports and stem the flow of both counterfeit and contraband products.
We encourage the Government to continue the drive to bring the tax structure on cigarettes in line with the established best practice and recommendations of the FCTC and also to move ahead with plans for comprehensive tobacco control legislation, to protect our citizens from the devastating health and financial consequences of tobacco use.
Blakkwuman22 Music, the label that is rapidly becoming known for producing strictly conscious Reggae and Dancehall projects, did it again. Last week they released the “Just Believe Riddim” a compilation that was done in partnership with ODB Studios.
Producer and engineer Collin “Bulby” York rallies Jamaican superstars – Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Tenor Saw, Agent Sasco (Assassin), Lee “Scratch” Perry, Jesse Royal, Maxi Priest, Cherine Anderson, Sizzla, Busy Signal, Lutan Fyah and more for his forthcoming debut album, “Epic & Ting” to be released on Greensleeves Records soon.
The Caribbean American Heritage Foundation of Texas (CAHFT), in collaboration with The Piton International Film Festival (PIFF) and The Chicago Caribbean Film Festival (CCFF) launches the First Annual Houston Caribbean Film Festival (HCFF). The HCFF will take place on June 18-19, 2016 during National Caribbean American Heritage Month, which occurs annually in June. Films from Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Haiti, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago will be screened at this year’s two-day inaugural event in Houston.
Lt. Stitchie and his team are now getting ready to commence shooting of the official video for “nuh tek nuh talk,” one of his recently released singles. The song which is produced by New York based record label, Hit Matic Records, has been in heavy rotation worldwide since it came out approximately three months ago.
