“Significant increase in tobacco tax will lead to higher prices of cigarettes, making them less affordable and less available especially for the youth,” ani Education Sec. Leonor Briones.
Ayon sa DepEd ang dagdag na buwis ay katulad ng layunin ng ahensya na mailayo ang mga estudyante sa paninigarilyo.
“In school, we teach our learners to reject tobacco use. But education alone is not enough. Outside the school, we need policies that will help reinforce our learners’ health-promoting choices, complementing what we teach them in school,” ani Briones.
Isa umanong epektibong paraan ang pagtataas ng buwis upang mabawasan ang naninigarilyo.
Sa National Nutrition Surveys ng Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology noong 2008, 2013 at 2015, mapapansin umano ang pagbaba ng mga naninigarilyo sa mga edad 20 taon pababa matapos ipatupad ang Sin Tax Law.
“If we succeed in preventing our learners from smoking, perhaps until they graduate from Grade 12, there are high chances that they will never smoke in their lifetime,” dagdag pa ng kalihim.