HK GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE INVESTING MORE FUNDS IN TOBACCO CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENT MANPOWER, ON CESSATION AND THE COSTS OF QUITTING (NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY /ACUPUNCTURE ) SHOULD BE FREE TO ALL RESIDENTS WANTING TO QUIT. TOBACCO EXCISE TAX INCREASE IS A GOVT PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MEASURE AND ILLICIT TOBACCO SMUGGLING, PEDDLING AND BUYING ARE CRIMES. IMPORTING, PEDDLING AND POSSESSION OF NON DUTY PAID PRODUCTS SHOULD MERIT PRISON TERMS SINCE ALL ARE DEFRAUDING THE GOVERNMENT OF EXCISE INCOME AND USERS WILL EVENTUALLY REQUIRE MEDICAL TREATMENT ADDING FURTHER COSTS ON GOVERNMENT FUNDS. ALL PRODUCTS SOLD IN HK SHOULD BE SPECIFICALLY MARKED TO ASSIST TRACKING AND TRACING OF THE PRODUCTS. CIGARETTES KILL 50% OF THEIR USERS AND REDUCE SMOKERS’ LIFETIMES AND PRODUCTIVITY BETWEEN 10 TO 15 YEARS -THE COST OF SMOKING TO HONG KONG SOCIETY INCLUDING LOSS OF LIFE PER YEAR IS AT LEAST HK$ 72 BILLION (HKU DEPT OF COMMUNITY MEDICINE based on 1998 costs) HK CUSTOMS DEPT FIGURES SHOWN IN THIS DOCUMENT CONFIRM ILLICIT TOBACCO SYNDICATES IN HK ARE ON THE DECLINE AS ARE THE QUANTITY OF CONTRABAND STICK SEIZURES WHILST DUTY FREE PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN LEAKED ILLEGALLY INTO THE BLACK MARKET. WORLDWIDE THE TOBACCO COMPANIES ALWAYS BLEAT THAT TOBACCO TAX INCREASES WILL CAUSE INCREASED SMUGGLING – THIS IS DISINGENUOUS SINCE THEY NEVER MENTION THAT THEIR OWN PRODUCT PRICE INCREASES WILL LIKEWISE CAUSE INCREASED SMUGGLING. INCREASED TOBACCO TAXATION MAKES THEIR PRODUCTS UNAFFORDABLE TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH BY WAY OF RETAIL ELASTICITY. WITHOUT REPLACEMENT YOUTH SMOKERS BIG TOBACCO WILL BE OUT OF BUSINESS. IN CANADA TOBACCO EXECUTIVES INVOLVED IN SMUGGLING THEIR OWN PRODUCTS WERE JAILED. IN EUROPE THE TOBACCO COMPANIES ARE FINED MASSIVELY IF THEIR PRODUCTS ARE FOUND IN THE BLACK MARKET AND HK SHOULD DO THE SAME. 60-65% OF CONTRABAND SEIZURES IN HKG DURING 2008-2010 WERE GENUINE PRODUCTS AND OF THESE GENUINE PRODUCTS 6.9% WERE MARKED ’HK DUTY NOT PAID’ – THIS IS THREE TIMES THE WORLD CONTRABAND NORM FOR GENUINE PRODUCT SEIZURES AND NEEDS ADDRESSING BY USE OF THE ORGANISED AND SERIOUS CRIME ORDINANCE AGAINST THE SUPPLY CHAINS AND PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS - THE TOBACCO COMPANIES’ DELIBERATE FAILURE TO CONTROL THEIR OWN SUPPLY CHAINS IS A MAJOR REASON FOR ILLICIT TOBACCO SMUGGLING AND WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROOF OF BIG TOBACCO’S HISTORY OF DIRECT INVOLVEMENT IN SMUGGLING OF ITS OWN PRODUCTS WHICH THEY REFER TO AS ‘DUTY NOT PAID / GENERAL CARGO’. AFTER EACH TOBACCO TAX INCREASE IN HONG KONG CHILD AND YOUTH SMOKING PREVALENCE HAS DECREASED THUS PROVING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURE – SEE THE PROOF WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT. CB(1)1759/10-11(04) (English version only) TOBACCO EXCISE TAX INCREASE IS PROVEN AS THE BEST WAY TO STOP CHILDREN AND YOUTH SMOKING, RECOMMENDED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION AND THE WORLD BANK AND MANDATED UNDER THE FCTC TREATY RATIFIED BY CHINA.
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