05 Aug 2021

Government should consider reviewing tobacco taxation and levy as an essential component of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, says Lobatse MP, Dr Thapelo Matsheka. 

Contributing to the debate on the Tobacco Control Bill, Dr Matsheka said taxation of tobacco on consumers in the form of higher cigarette prices should be recognised as one of the most effective population-based strategies for decreasing smoking and its adverse health consequences. 

He said an increase on the tobacco levy would generate revenue which could be used to address challenges related to the use of tobacco. 

Dr Matsheka highlighted that revenue from the tobacco the levy could be channeled towards improving the health sector to curb tobacco related health complications. 

He added that Botswana should ensure that tobacco products were not sold or promoted through deceptive means to children and young people who were prone to peer pressure. 

He called for public education on deceptive marketing strategies and tactics. Speaking in support of  the Bill, Tati East MP, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe said research showed that there were 1 500 causalities yearly from tobacco usage related diseases in Botswana. 

Dr Letsholathebe decried the escalating cases of tobacco smuggling into the country especially through villages along the border. 

He said tobacco smuggling through ungazetted points led to loss of government revenue through uncollected customs duty. 

He therefore called for tight security and border patrols to stop smuggling of contraband. 

Dr Letsholathebe argued that usage of tobacco products was having a negative economic impact on the livelihoods of many households. 

“The majority of tobacco users live under the poverty datum line, as they channel the little income they generate towards feeding their smoking cravings,” he said. 

Kanye South MP, Dr Lemogang Kwape said government had long recognised and accepted the need to sensitise its population on the harmful effects of tobacco, adding that tobacco use among youth had increased significantly over the years. Dr Kwape expressed his support for the bill because there was provision for labelling of packages to warn consumers about health consequences of tobacco use and its addictive nature. 

He emphasised the need to prohibit advertising of tobacco or placing of any promotional messages on cigarette packages. 

Nkange MP, Dr Never Tshabang supported the proposed age restrictions on the use of tobacco products saying, scientific evidence showed that delayed usage of tobacco discouraged future usage of the product. 

He proposed the increase of the age limit from 18 to 21 years because 18-year-olds were still susceptible to peer pressure. 

He said tobacco advertising and environmental protection from tobacco smoke as well as restrictions on minors’ access to tobacco, were required stringent enforcement strategies. 

However, Dr Tshabang decried lack of consultation with the business community on the economic impact of the tobacco industry in the country especially job creation. 

The bill, he said did not address issues around smoking but its aims was only to regulate the sale of tobacco. Mochudi East MP, Mr Mabuse Pule advocated for stringent measures against tobacco advertising to thwart proliferation of messages and images that encouraged people to consume tobacco products. 

Such measures, he observed, would reduce the appeal of tobacco products and pre-empt the tobacco industry’s efforts to develop positive associations with the products. 

Selebi Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse regretted that the downside of the bill was its negative impact on businesses and those who depended on the tobacco value chain for their livelihoods. 

He observed that the bill was also a recipe for illicit trade and evasion of levies and tax. 

Mr Keorapetse said the bill had the potential to turn Botswana into a tobacco smugglers’ paradise since illicit traders would lower the price of their products. 

Such, he argued would eventually create an uneven playing field with government and the tobacco industry losing revenue while illicit traders would be major beneficiaries. Furthermore, he said the bill was unlikely to curb health problems related to tobacco use but it would rather encourage consumption of substandard products that could be more hazardous. Ends