烟草在线据新时代报道编译　　东非共同体(EAC)政府将增加烟草税产品的税收以抵制吸烟。

　　据非洲的烟草控制中心称，在非洲东部，烟草产品的税收低，这使得许多人们购买卷烟容易。该中心，即世界卫生组织的一个机构指出，这增加了患癌症和其他相关疾病的风险。

　　它补充说，除了减少烟草消费外，对该行业征收重税将帮助东非共同体国家增加税收收入，用于推进公共卫生项目。

　　“与世界上其他地方相比，在非洲，烟草产品的税收政策不严格。东非共同体国家应该采取能更有效地减少烟草消费的税收和价格措施，”最近在基加利召开的一个研讨会上该中心的经理Possy Mugyenyi说。

　　研讨会吸引了100多名政要，包括该地区的卫生官员和政客们，讨论在抵制癌症中控制烟草使用的措施。

　　“我们还必须禁止烟草广告和赞助，以及禁止行业所使用的所有的营销策略，以减少烟草使用，”Mugyenyi说。

　　所有5个东非共同体成员国都是世卫组织的《烟草控制框架公约》的签约国，但只有肯尼亚一个全面的控烟法律到位。在卢旺达，卷烟的最高消费税为150%，其次是天然气、石油和润滑油的为76%，酒类和葡萄酒的为70%。

　　据该联盟的农业部门主任Narcisse Ndagijimana称，然而，由于烟农不是在卢旺达的私营联盟部门注册的，他们很难使意识到生产的危险。

　　“在卢旺达，烟草没有被广泛种植……几十年来这种农作物是一些卢旺达人的生计来源。但是我们计划加强敏化活动、培训，并教他们如何种植替代作物，”Ndagijimana在电话采访中说。

　　世界卫生组织的统计表明，烟草杀死三分之一的终身用户，而与烟草有关的疾病占到了成人死亡率的1/10。

　　据估计，每年有60万人死于接触二手烟，大多数因二手烟而死亡的是妇女和儿童。

East Africa: Who Calls for Heavy Taxes On Tobacco Products

　　The east African Community (EAC) governments should increase taxes on tobacco products to discourage smoking.

　　According to the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa, taxes on tobacco products are low in East Africa, which makes it easy for many people to buy cigarettes. This increases the risk of catching cancer and other related diseases, the centre, which is an arm of the World Health Organisation, noted.

　　It added that, besides reducing tobacco consumption, taxing the sector heavily would help EAC countries raise revenue for programmes that advance public health.

　　"Taxation policies on tobacco products are less stringent in Africa than in other parts of the world…EAC states should adopt tax and price measures that are more effective in reducing tobacco consumption," Possy Mugyenyi, the centre manager, said during a seminar in Kigali recently.

　　The seminar attracted over 100 dignitaries, including health officials and politicians from the region to discuss measures of curbing tobacco use in the fight against cancer.

　　"We must also ban the tobacco advertisement and sponsorships and use of all marketing strategies by the industry to reduce tobacco use," Mugyenyi said.

　　All five EAC member states are party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, but only Kenya has a comprehensive tobacco control law in place. Cigarettes attract the highest consumption tax in Rwanda at 150 per cent, followed by gas, oil and lubricants at 76 per cent, with liquors and wines at 70 per cent.

　　However, since tobacco farmers are not registered by Rwanda's Private Sector Federation, it is hard to sensitise them on the dangers of the produce, according to Narcisse Ndagijimana, the agriculture division director at the federation.

　　"Tobacco is not widely grown in Rwanda…the crop has been the source of livelihood for some Rwandans for decades. But we plan to enhance sensitisation campaigns, train and teach them on how to grow alternative crops," Ndagijimana said in a phone interview.

　　Statistics by WHO indicate that tobacco kills one-third of all lifetime users, while tobacco-related illnesses account for one in 10 adult deaths.

　　It is also estimated that 600,000 individuals die annually from exposure to secondary smoke and that the majority of secondhand smoke deaths are among women and children. Enditem