Expert urges higher taxes on cigarettes

China should raise the tax on cigarettes further to reduce the use of tobacco, and the increased revenue could be invested in the health and medical sectors, an expert said on Monday.

周一专家提到，中国应该提高对香烟的税收，以进一步减少烟草的使用，增加的财政收入能投资到医疗健康行业。

On Friday, the Ministry of Finance raised the consumption tax on the wholesale price of cigarettes from 5 percent to 11 percent. Cigarettes are now also taxed at 0.005 yuan each. The changes took effect on Sunday.

周五，财政部将香烟批发价格的消费税从5%提高到11%，当前每根香烟的征税额0.005元，新税率在周日开始生效。

It is the first increase since May 2009, when the tax on top-brand cigarettes was raised from 45 percent to 56 percent.

这是自2009年来首次对香烟增税，当时高级品牌香烟的税率从45%上升到56%。

Hu Teh-wei, emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said on Monday. Hu was speaking at an event hosted by the World Health Organization and the World Bank in Beijing.

加州大学伯克利分校名誉教授Hu Teh-wei周一在世界卫生组织和世界银行在北京举办的一项活动中说道。

The owner of a tobacco store in Beijing told China Daily that prices of most cigarettes sold at the store had been increased by about 10 percent over the weekend. For example, a pack of a popular brand, which used to cost 25 yuan ($4), now costs 27 yuan.

北京的烟草商店经营者告诉中国日报，大部分商店在售的香烟价格在周末过后将上涨10%，比如，一盒普通品牌的香烟过去售价在25元(4美元)，现在售价27元。

From 2000 to 2012, the price index for cigarettes sold in China rose by 3 percent, Hu added. Considering the rise in people’s income, "cigarettes are 70 percent more affordable than before," he said.

从2000年到2012，中国香烟销售价格指数上涨了3%，Hu补充道，考虑到人们收入的增加，香烟力购买力增加了70%”。

In contrast, food prices have doubled during the period and liquor prices increased by 140 percent, he said.

相比较而言，食品价格在这一时期增加了一倍，酒类价格上涨了140%，他说。

Rose Zheng, a professor of finance and taxation studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said taxes account for about 50 percent of the retail price of cigarettes in China, lower than in many other countries.

北京对外经贸大学财税研究所的Rose Zheng教授认为，中国香烟零售价中税收占了一半，这个比率低于大部分国家。

According to the World Health Organization, this figure is as high as 80 percent in some European countries, including Britain. The WHO recommends a tax of at least 70 percent for China.

世界卫生组织数据显示，在包括英国在内的一些欧洲国家中，此比率可高达到80%。世卫组织建议中国至少征收70%的税。

The tobacco industry is a major source of tax revenue in China, contributing more than 900 billion yuan last year.

烟草行业是中国税收的主要来源，每年贡献9000亿元的税收额。

Based on this, Zhu Weiqun, an economics professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, estimates that the latest increase in the wholesale price of cigarettes will bring in an additional 87.6 billion yuan in tax compared with last year.

因此，上海财经大学经济学教授朱维群预计，最近香烟批发价格税率上升，相比去年会多带来876亿元的税收。

Hu suggested that China allocate part of the increased revenue from tobacco taxes to health insurance so that poorer people, including smokers, benefit.

Hu建议中国将增加的烟草税收投入到医疗保险中，为包括吸烟者在内的低收入人群谋福利。

完成阅读

来源:ChinaDaily爱语吧作者:孙梦光