[메디칼업저버 박서영 기자] Recently, while a bill to lower the tax rate on cigarettes to the level of cigarettes has been proposed, some voices of concern that it can reduce the smoking cessation rate and increase smoking accessibility.
The holding cigarette is a cigarette that absorbs nicotine by inserting a tea bag pouch into the gum, and unlike cigarettes or cigarettes, it does not emit smoke.
On the 18th, Rep. Kang Dae-sik, a member of People’s Power, proposed a partial amendment to the National Health Promotion Act to lower the national health promotion charge for cigarettes held in order to reduce the damage from secondhand smoking.
According to Rep. Kang’s explanation, the main cause of secondhand smoke conflict between smokers and non-smokers is cigarette smoke. Even though there are conflicts in physically separated apartment houses due to smoke, a solution is desperately needed as the right to smoke cannot be easily deprived of smokers.
Accordingly, other countries have drastically lowered the tax rate of non-smoke-bearing cigarettes compared to cigarettes in order to reduce the damage from secondhand smoke.
On the other hand, Korea has been pointed out as a problem because the charge for cigarettes is set at a level that is 6.6 times higher than that of general cigarettes.
Rep. Kang explained the purpose of the bill as “to guarantee smokers an opportunity to switch to smokeless tobacco and to protect non-smokers.”
If the bill is passed, the national health promotion charge for cigarettes (534.5 won per gram) will be drastically reduced to the level of cigarettes (56.1 won per gram).
However, there are voices of concern that this bill can increase access to smoking even though it can reduce the harm of secondhand smoke.
The Korea Anti-Tobacco Movement Association said, “It is a strategy of tobacco companies to diversify the types of cigarettes by emphasizing only reducing the harm of secondhand smoke and misleading the harmfulness of cigarettes contained in them.” The harmfulness should not be overlooked.”
In response, an official from Congressman Kang’s office explained, “This is a bill to reduce damage to non-smokers, and we have not considered any other issues.”
He added, “The issue of lowering the tax rate on cigarettes contained has been repeatedly discussed in the National Assembly.”
Previously, in 2021, Congressman Baek Jong-heon, the power of the people, proposed a bill to lower the tax rate of cigarettes to the level of cigarettes, but it was pending.