Tobacco levy is too harsh

| Monday April 7, 2014 10:34

 

As a point of departure government must recognise that the tobacco trade is a legitimate trade not to be annihilated but rather regulated in a free market economy such as ours.

In light of the recent developments the promoters of the tobacco industry are bound to re-strategise in order to survive this onslaught which will result in a vicious circle of blame and counter blame. Government is concerned about the health risks posed by smoking on the one hand and the tobacco industry and, its consumers of legal consent on the other are crying for the freedom to enjoy smoking without being patronised.

As the giants circle and size to take each other out, one wonders if  a win –win situation exists for the two camps out there. I posit that there is, through consultation and strategic partnerships as a point of departure for the two sides to foster responsible selling and enforce regulation to protect consumers and non-consumers alike.

Government must acknowledge the tobacco trade and the tobacco industry must also recognise government’s effort on the health of the general populace. We all know or have heard of the historic class acts against tobacco giants in the first world countries but can anyone stand and say this has managed to lower the levels of consumption? The US, Europe and Asia are still puffing away happily and heavily.

Yes, there have been wins for and against the industry but who is the winner and or loser here at the end of it all? Both sides have, in courts of law and in the public domain fought so hard to defend their positions and it has become a dejavu battle of sorts across the world.

We are always bombarded with scary statistics and images of tobacco related illnesses or deaths, but do we ever get sight of numbers who have enjoyed their puff since their teens to the last days and died peacefully free of tobacco related complications? Hardly! Increasing the levy is only a short term measure, which will not deter a smoker from getting their fix nor reduce consumption.

If you want your puff you will simply get it, high price or not! Smokers don’t quit because of pricing, they quit because of more thought out reasons such as health and hygiene. Smokers would rather pool their resources to buy one cigarette to share in this country and or ask the next smoker for a puff.

Instead of going for each other’s jugular the players must collaborate to enact laws, rules and regulations of the industry which protect the youth, mentally challenged, smokers and non-smokers alike as well as promote responsible trading and marketing of the product. Botswana must not take the tried, tested and failed approach of high levies without stakeholder engagements most countries took without any significant outcome. Let’s find a lasting and working solution.

The levy increase will complicate the already existing problem of smoking that this country faces where people will now resort to other unmentionable means of affording this habit. The players should put in place support structures for those that want to quit due to this development. One does not just quit smoking overnight easily because of price, it’s a process to detox and finally quit. Dr Bontle Mbongwe whom I have lots of respect, put it succinctly in her article (Botswana Guardian, 17 March 2014) that negative results of smoking ‘’ give rise to a variety of social ill, including increased poverty.’’ I posit here that yes indeed if the existing problem is now compounded with high levies.

Some will sell their last possession if need be to get their last high. Curiously as the government is on the tobacco war path the industry has reinvented itself and starting being a responsible citizen of the world. The tobacco industry has admitted that whilst smoking is risky, nothing the companies have done has made cigarettes more dangerous than otherwise might be the case. Nothing the companies have done or said has kept someone from stopping smoking.

The tobacco  promoters have gone all out to educate consumers about the dangers of smoking, in fact they have even gone a step further to lower the level of nicotine, tar etc to make smoking safer. A leading tobacco company British American Tobacco which has a significant trading presence in Botswana clearly shows on its website that in a controversial industry they act with responsibility and integrity right from marketing to environmental protection. The following declarations are a standard across the world where they do business among others;

• We do not market to the underage.

• We do not do produce placements in films, TV programmes or link our product brands to celebrities or to sporting, professional, social, or sexual success.

The onslaught on each other must stop and we must engage each other in a wise cool headed way to win and stop demonising each other. Botswana cannot afford to suppress a legitimate trade through initiatives that have failed in the first world. The tobacco industry employs over 4 million people worldwide across the seven continents. In neighbouring Zimbabwe the industry contributes 21% to the GDP.

Consumers know of the risks but have their own free will and decline to quit.

 

Donald Moagi (Mochudi)