The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has called on the Federal Government to immediately raise the excise tax on tobacco products to 100 per cent.
According tao the group, such a decisive move could save thousands of lives and help Nigeria recover at least N526 billion annually lost to healthcare expenses and productivity losses linked to tobacco use.
In a statement, yesterday, CAPPA warned that despite the well-documented health risks associated with tobacco consumption, the tobacco industry continues to aggressively target Nigerians, especially youths, with both traditional and emerging products, including vapes and e-cigarettes.
The group noted: ‘Tobacco use remains a major risk factor for a wide range of non-communicable diseases, NCDs, that are both debilitating and expensive to treat’.
Citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), CAPPA highlighted that tobacco use is linked to premature deaths from illnesses such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, dementia, sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, birth defects, cardiovascular disease, vision loss, skin damage, and weakened bones, among others.
According to the group: ‘The Nigerian Tobacco Control Data Initiative states that 90 percent of global tobacco production occurs in developing countries such as Nigeria, which bear the brunt of the environmental and health costs, while high-income countries reap the profits.
As far back as 2018, the Federal Government reported that Nigerians consumed more than 20 billion sticks of cigarettes annually.
‘It also referenced government data showing that nearly 30,000 Nigerians die every year from tobacco-related diseases’.
The group cited a study by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA), which revealed that Nigeria spent N526.4 billion in 2019, alone treating diseases linked to tobacco use.
CAPPA explained: ‘Nigeria currently operates a mixed excise tax system for tobacco products.
This includes a 30 per cent ad valorem tax on the unit cost of production, a specific excise tax of N84 per 20-stick cigarette pack (effective since 1 June 2022), and a shisha/tobacco tax of N3,000 per litre or N1,000 per kilogram, with N500 annual increments’.
Although the Federal Government proposed raising the tobacco tax to 50 perbcent in April 2023, the measure has yet to be implemented, leaving the current regime unchanged.
CAPPA urged the Nigerian government to align with international best practices and take a cue from other African countries adopting stronger tobacco control measures.
