USC34: PASS SIN TAX BILL NOW

Ten Filipinos die every hour from cancer, stroke, lung and heart diseases caused by smoking while the country loses nearly P500 billion annually from healthcare costs and productivity losses while some 2.5 million people die annually due to harmful alcohol use. The Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey conducted in 2009 (DOH, Philippines GATS Country Report, March 16, 2010) revealed that 28.3% (17.3 million) of the population aged 15 years old and over currently smoke tobacco, 47.7% (14.6 million) of whom are men, while 9.0% (2.8 million) are women. Eighty percent of these are daily smokers with men and women smoking an average of 11.3 and 7 sticks of cigarettes per day respectively. Further, children as young as 5 years old already begin to smoke. Non-smokers are also not spared from the detrimental effects of smoking for second-hand smoke causes hundreds of thousands of deaths to those who do not smoke due to the same smoking-related diseases. A 2006 study by the WHO, Department of Health (DOH), University of the Philippines-Manila and the Philippine College of Medical Researchers Foundation showed that the governments economic costs, including expenses for health care and costs of productivity losses, reached P461 billion. This economic burden is further worsened by the health costs brought about by harmful alcohol use. The deaths from abusive drinking also raises an alarming truth. In Southeast Asia, Filipinos were found to be the second highest consumers of alcohol. The prevalent rate of alcohol consumption is estimated at 5 million Filipino drinkers in a population of 90 million. Some of the harmful effects attributed to excessive alcohol use constitute 4 percent of all deaths worldwide more deaths than those caused by HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis. --These horrendous facts and statistics reflect how smoking has deeply plagued our health care system and with it the lives of millions of Filipinos, who suffer and die from an addiction that could be cured or avoided. Should the government only have the political ascendance to craft a law that could regulate or halt cigarette consumption and abusive alcohol drinking? Should we, as their stakeholders, take a proactive stance to the realization of that piece of legislation that we could bring about true and felt outcomes consistent with our goal of achieving better health for all? The 34th UP Manila University Student Council (UPM USC) believes that of utmost importance is the health of our countrymen and we support actions that promote this end. With this we firmly espouse the passage of House Bill 5727 more popularly known as the Sin Tax Reform Bill. This bill would simplify and update excise taxes on cigarettes and liquor, generating an additional 33 billion pesos a year for the national government.. Such taxes have been exempt from rises since 1996. The bill also contains modifications which will create fair market competition and increase revenues for the government such as changing the current multi-tiered tax system on cigarettes and liquor to a two-tiered system and indexing the cigarette and liquor tax to the current inflation rate. Aside from gaining a projected 60.7 billion pesos in tax revenue, house bill 5727 will promote the health of the Filipinos by creating a disincentive to smoking and drinking alcohol and consequently providing funds for social services for the poor. As World Bank study as says, a 10 percent increase in taxes on tobacco products would lead to a 4 to 8 percent decrease in consumption, thus leading to saving thousands of lives. In our country, some economists estimate that at least 870,000 smokers will quit and 310,000 lives can be spared from smoke-related deaths. With that being said, the Sin Tax Reform Bill, after being passed by the House of Representatives three months ago with the support of more than 200 congressmen only 21 voting against and 5 abstaining is now in the hands of our senators. Despite the Houses overwhelming support as well as Malacaangs, the strong lobbying

made by the tobacco and alcohol industry has made it more challenging to gain the approval of the senate. In order to strengthen the call for the immediate passage of the Sin Tax Reform Bill, the Department of Health (DOH) has launched a campaign dubbed as One Million 23/7 aimed to gather 1 million signatures and has been urging the public, most especially civil society groups and the media to generate support. As Iskolars ng Bayan from the Health Sciences Center that is UP Manila, we must take on a decisive stand on this critical matter. We call on everyone to support the Sin Tax Reform Bill. Let us unite and make our voices heard, our presence felt, as we join this health crusade. Together, let us march towards a healthier and more progressive Philippines!

REFERENCES: http://www.gov.ph/2012/08/16/senator-drilon-calls-for-the-passage-of-the-sin-tax-bill/ http://www.gov.ph/2012/08/27/doh-sin-tax-is-a-health-bill/ http://www.gov.ph/2012/05/13/the-secretary-of-budget-and-management-on-the-approval-of-hb-5727-in-the-house-committee-on-ways-and-meansmay-14-2012/ http://www.gov.ph/2012/05/13/the-secretary-of-budget-and-management-on-the-approval-of-hb-5727-in-the-house-committee-on-ways-and-meansmay-14-2012/ http://www.healthjustice.ph/?action=viewArticle&articleId=667 http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/61111/smoking-kills-10-filipinos-every-hour http://business.inquirer.net/82092/sin-tax-bill-at-the-senate-front http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=846274 http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=848546&publicationSubCategoryId=66 http://www.mb.com.ph/node/304721/alcoholhttp://www.doh.gov.ph/content/smoking-cessation-program-0