China needs an all-out fight to curb tobacco consumption

scmp.com.co.uk – 25 de marzo de 2015 – China

China, the planet's largest tobacco consumer and producer, is the only nation where tobacco consumption does not fall when the government imposes higher taxes on these products, as incomes are rising faster than the tax hikes. This is creating a serious public health issue.

In general, health pundits consider that taxing tobacco products is one of the most effective measures to control consumption. In high-income countries, if the state raises taxes on such products by 10 per cent, there is usually a 4 per cent drop in consumption, according to experts at the recent 16th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Abu Dhabi, where health professionals and government officials called for tobacco controls.

Publicación original: 

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1746957/china-needs-all-out-fight-curb-tobacco-consumption