By: SANA ULLAH GHUMMAN
The power of the people’s empire is considered,By the power of your vote Checkerboard Reverses,Our people are aware, Therefore, it is very important for them to know “what is truth?”But sometimes social and economic issues combine to disperse your thinking, but whatever the circumstances, it is the duty of the institutions to unite the dispersed thinking of the people. Look at the other side Panah has raised the alert to 37 But, it is not just a matter of awareness, practical steps are very important, which it is the duty of the institutions to put into practice, so that the factors that cause the problems of the people can also be addressed.
The government has made it mandatory for the rich and the poor to pay taxes.Which implies that taxes are necessary,In order to increase the revenue of the government and solve the problems, But if we talk about public health here, there are many health-damaging factors that are not only pushing them towards deadly diseases,They are also becoming a burden on the national treasury.The lack of progress in the implementation of the tax on them makes one wonder what are the reasons that on the one hand the practice is imposed on the needs of the smallest masses. But on the other hand, the factors that cause major and costly diseases have been exempted from raising taxes.
Some of the key points under discussion are awaiting the attention of the public and institutions. Fifty years ago, heart disease was almost non-existent,Which are slowly spreading in the form of epidemics.The first sign of the disease in 50% of people is a heart attack And about 30% of patients died before they reach the hospital.Today, every second minute in Pakistan, a man is having a heart attack,10 to 12% can’t even after reaching hospital,50% of them are between 45 and 50 years old. In addition to these health problems, economic and social problems are also arising.Smoking is one of the leading causes of Heart ,Cancer and other dreaded diseases.According to a report published in the English Journal of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on January 9, 2021, the annual consumption of cigarettes in Pakistan is 86.6 billion,22 million people in Pakistan use tobacco,But it is sad to say that a recent study published on Pied told us that 60% of these citizens are our teenagers children.
It should not be overlooked that one of the main reasons for starting smoking at an early age is the cheapness of cigarettes. Very few people start smoking in the 40’s. When the price goes up, our children will not be able to smoke and buy cheap brands. Wouldn’t like to go to the side, will be an effective way to get rid of the young man’s smoking habit.
It is important for compatriots to know that the basic taxes on cigarettes are Federal Excise Duty (FED) and Sales Tax.FED is always applied keeping in mind the price of a pack of cigarettes.
Here we take a look at the policies of the past,You will know that under the formula applied in the first TIER, if the pack of cigarettes is Rs. 88 or more, Then FED will be 74.10, If it is Rs. 90 or more then FED will be Rs. 74.80, According to the second TIER, a pack of cigarettes worth Rs. 88 is priced at Rs. 32.98, And if the box is Rs 58.50, the tax will be Rs 34.40. But instead of implementing the second tier after the first tier, the government directly implemented the third tier.Because the FBR has made the third tier necessary to discourage illicit trade.The formula of 58.50 per FED was only Rs. Which was less than half that of the second tier FED. As a result of the decision taken under the pressure of multinational companies, the overnment was getting Rs 114 billion in June 2015-16.The same reached Rs 83 billion in 2016-17 with a loss of Rs 31 billion. Whose responsibility If it is imposed on those responsible for making and enforcing laws,It will not be wrong.
The development of the beloved homeland is the success of every individual of the nation,As a responsible citizen of the country, some questions also arise in my mind. The answer is with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the national evenue collector.Why doesn’t the illicit trade in cigarettes survey itself?Why were the negative consequences of the third tier not made public? The situation would be different today if the losses of the national treasury were estimated less than the third tier. Who is responsible for this?If the right steps were taken, not only would the government get billions of rupees. On the contrary, the government is facing an economic burden of Rs 615 billion annually on tobacco related diseases, There would have been a significant reduction in that as well.December 5, 2017 The FBR did not audit the tobacco industry, despite the Federal Standing Committee’s indications.What is the reason?It is noteworthy that the tobacco industry claimed that the implementation of FED increased the illicit trade in cigarettes, while the results of a survey were quite the opposite, with the illicit trade in the country not exceeding 10 to 16 per cent.
According to a Pakistani magazine, the cigarette industry is earning Rs 200 billion annually, now the US needs to take practical reforms.If a pack of cigarettes is implemented at Rs 30 FED proposed by the World Bank, the annual revenue will increase by Rs 134 billion.There is an urgent need to implement a track and trace system to make the revenue system more efficient, so that the response of the administrators of the concerned institutions can be improved, along with a thorough audit of the tobacco industry, which has not been seen on any FBR website till date.
Investigations by the WHO and other Researchers Show That if the consumption of a commodity is to be reduced then the imposition of tax is an effective means for it.Health is the basic right of the people which is the responsibility of the government. The government has already lost billions of rupees due to non-implementation of taxes. Therefore, implementation of FED should be ensured so that people can avoid diseases and billions of rupees can be collected.