烟草在线据法新社报道编译　　菲律宾12月20日根据总统贝尼尼奥·阿基诺支持的改革方案提高了烟酒税，以帮助“更多的菲律宾人从吸烟和喝酒的恶习中”解放出来。

　　自己就是吸烟者的阿基诺表示，“罪恶税”法案是对强大的烟草游说团体的一次胜利，并将为更好的卫生保健和设施提供额外资金。

　　“敌人是强大的、聒噪的、有组织的，而且财力雄厚……但正如我经常所说的，没有任何事情能够阻止向正确方向迈进的菲律宾人，”总统在签署仪式上的发言中说道。

　　阿基诺的发言人拉蒙·卡兰丹称，罪恶税在2013年将增加330亿比索（8亿美元）的收入，以后几年将逐步提高。为避免烟酒征税逐渐被通胀所抵消，政府将从2016年开始每年把蒸馏酒税提高4%。从2018年开始，卷烟和啤酒税将每年增长4%。

　　阿基诺称，政府曾在1997年首次请求国会提高“罪恶”产品如卷烟和酒精饮料的消费税，但这些消费税直到2004年才在烟草游说团体的强烈反对中通过。

　　游说团体包括代表烟草种植区的国会议员，以及享有东南亚最低烟草税率之一的强大的卷烟公司。

　　政府表示，菲律宾是该地区吸烟率最高的国家，烟草相关疾病去年花费了该国1770亿比索（43亿美元）的资金。

　　阿基诺向该国的烟农保证他们不会受到更高烟税的伤害，但未作详细说明。

　　对于政府筹集到阿基诺在12月19日签署成为法律的2.005万亿比索的2013年预算案所需的收入，提高罪恶税被认为是至关重要的。对阿基诺来说，这是在通过有争议的生育控制法案后国会的第二次主要的胜利，该控制法案因占主导地位的天主教的反对而被推迟了10多年。该法案不久后将由阿基诺签署。

评论：

　　为减少菲律宾民众对烟酒产品的消费量，菲律宾总统阿基诺支持罪恶税改革方案，通过增税来大幅提高烟酒价格，政府预计财政税收也将逐步提高。这项有争议的法案曾被搁置多年，但反烟团体最终获胜，而烟草业则面临着行业收缩的挑战，对于普遍收入都不太高的菲律宾人来说，提税方案或许有些过于激进，而这一法案能否达到降低吸烟率和增加税收的预期效果，还有待时间的检验。

Philippines Raises Tobacco, Alcohol Taxes

　　The Philippines Thursday raised tobacco and alcohol taxes in a reform President Benigno Aquino hailed as helping to liberate "more Filipinos from the vices of smoking and drinking".

　　Aquino, a smoker himself, said the "sin tax" law was a victory against the powerful tobacco lobby and would provide extra funds for better health care and facilities.

　　"The enemy was strong, noisy, organised and had deep pockets... but as I have always said, there is nothing that can stop Filipinos who are marching in the right direction," the president said in a speech at the signing ceremony.

　　Aquino spokesman Ramon Carandang said the sin taxes would raise 33 billion pesos ($800 million) in 2013, rising gradually over the succeeding years.

　　Aquino said the government had first asked parliament to raise excise taxes on "sin" products such as cigarettes and alcoholic beverages in 1997, but these were only passed in 2004 amid strong opposition by the tobacco lobby.

　　The lobby included members of parliament representing tobacco-growing regions as well as powerful cigarette companies that enjoyed one of the lowest tobacco taxes in Southeast Asia.

　　The government says the Philippines has the highest incidence of smoking in the region, with tobacco-related diseases costing the country 177 billion pesos ($4.3 billion) last year.

　　Aquino assured the country's tobacco farmers that they would not be hurt by the higher taxes, but did not elaborate.

　　The tax hikes were considered crucial for the government to meet the revenues necessary under the 2.005 trillion-peso budget for 2013 that Aquino signed into law on Wednesday. It was a second major parliamentary victory for Aquino after getting a controversial birth control act passed after it had been delayed for more than a decade due to opposition from the dominant Catholic church. The act is due to be signed by Aquino soon. Enditem