Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) proposed a shekel-a-pack tax on cigarettes on Thursday, saying that it could add NIS 300 million in revenue to the state annually. Litzman proposed that the money be used for increased awareness of the dangers of smoking -- including workshops for kicking the habit -- and medical help for the lower 20 percent of the population.
The Israel Cancer Association (ICA) welcomed the proposal, noting that 10,000 Israelis die each year from cigarette-related diseases. The society also noted that the proposal is in line with tobacco-control efforts of the World Health Organization.
ICA heads, Miri Ziv and Prof. Eliezer Robinson, petitioned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in early April, writing, “smoking causes more deaths than the combined number of traffic accidents, wars, murders, and drug and alcohol addictions. However, the extent of damage is immense, which is a cause insufficiently addressed by the lawmakers. Thousands of youths start smoking every year in Israel. Their ‘choice’ – as research has already proved – is an active addiction, which will influence the rest of their lives, [causing a decrease in] the quality of their lives, a significant rise in their risk to diseases, and a considerable decrease in their life expectancy -- about ten years on average. The only ones who benefit from this industry are the manufacturers of death, the cigarette manufacturers.”
The ICA furthermore stated, “In Israel, it is still allowed to advertise tobacco products in newspapers, cigarette packs are displayed in a prominent place in supermarkets and kiosks, cigarette companies reach out to the youth by sponsoring popular performances, and the law prohibiting smoking in public places is unenforced, as required. The government must do its duty and save the lives of thousands of Israelis each year!”
Taking Lessons from the US
The ICA stressed the importance of heavily taxing smokers as an incentive for them to quit, noting that the U.S. has significantly raised the federal purchase tax on cigarettes, “at an amount in addition to [helping the] American economy, will finance medical insurance for children.” It noted that U.S. President Barack Obama addressed his own smoking habits in the first days of his presidency.
Obama, previously a heavy smoker, quit smoking while running on his campaign trail. He now uses nicotine gum to help him cut his addiction, although on an interview with NBC Television, he has admitted that there were times that he “fell off the wagon.” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her husband’s term as president, made the White House a smoke-free zone, a rule that Obama claims that he abides by.