Cigarettes Tax Hike, Cambodian Young Smokers

Ayda Yurekli, an academic from the World Health Organization, told a conference in the capital yesterday that: "Increasing tobacco retail tax would deter smokers and increase government revenue," and that "Cambodia has a huge young population, and the government has to prevent them becoming smokers. There is a lot of room to increase government revenue by raising taxes.” A packet of Cambodian produced ARA cigarettes costs around one third of a US dollar. Government tax on cigarettes in Cambodia is currently 10%. Neighbouring Laos taxes smokers 15%, Thailand 85% and Vietnam 65%. Would a large tax hike on tobacco products prevent poor smokers from smoking and improve the populations health and life span? Will it stop young children from poverty ridden families starting to smoke? (The average Khmer life expectancy according to unicef is 63 years.) I went to a community in the city to chat to some young smokers and to garner their opinion. What would be the effect on them of raising the tobacco tax in Cambodia? What impact would a massive increase on tobacco tax have on less well off citizens who smoke? Does anti-smoking education in Cambodian society have a direct impact on young smokers? Resmey Veng is 15-years-old. He lives in a community surrounded by poverty and was raised by a woman he calls mother. He does not attend school having left elementary school before he graduated. He works for around 8 hours each day carrying bricks on a construction site. The legal age for smoking in Cabodia is 18-years. We chatted when he ran into his home for a break as the heavens opened and work had to stop. He held 3 cigarettes which he had just purchased from a local store next to his home. "I have smoked since I was 13 years," he tells me and continues "I get 5 dollars a day for hard work and its heavy [building] work." Why did you start to smoke and drink alcohol? "I started smoking and drinking Khmer wine because I follow my friends what they do. We smoke and share a 2000Riel ($0.5) bottle of [red] khmer wine everyday."