Health and economic impacts of introducing specific excise tax to waterpipe tobacco in Egypt: a simulation model of simple and mixed tax policy approaches.
BMJ Glob Health
; 8(Suppl 8)2023 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37813447
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Waterpipe tobacco is taxed at half the rate of cigarettes in Egypt and, unlike cigarettes, does not have a specific excise component. We aimed to simulate the introduction of a specific excise tax on waterpipe tobacco consumption, premature deaths and government waterpipe tobacco revenue in Egypt.METHODS:
We took model inputs from the latest available data on consumption, market shares and market share prices, price elasticities of demand, tax structure and from discussions with government officials. We modelled increases to specific excise to produce a 45%, 55%, 65% and 75% tax burden and compared a simple (specific only) structure with a mixed (specific and ad valorem) structure.RESULTS:
Under the simple approach, introducing a US$2.1 specific tax would result in a 75% tax burden with 67% fewer waterpipe tobacco units smoked, 1 004 604 averted premature deaths and a 236% increase in government revenue relative to the current tax structure. At the 75% tax burden, the simple approach resulted in 1.5% fewer waterpipe tobacco units consumed, 9000 more averted premature deaths and 12.7% more government revenue compared with the mixed approach. Results for other tax burdens are presented and remained robust to sensitivity analyses.CONCLUSIONS:
Introducing a specific excise tax on waterpipe tobacco in Egypt can yield considerable government revenue and public health gains. We recommend the simple approach, in line with the WHO recommendations, which produces greater economic and public health gains than the mixed approach and is easier to administer for the Egyptian government.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Indústria do Tabaco
/
Tabaco para Cachimbos de Água
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMJ Glob Health
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Egito