| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | Legal
Blow to tobacco control treaty as industry wins tax fight in south-east Asia
Blow to tobacco control treaty as industry wins tax fight in south-east Asia
Industry lobbying in south-east Asia – home to high concentrations of smokers – is thwarting global efforts to fight the health impact of tobacco, says watchdog.
The powerful tobacco lobby last year stopped proposed cigarette tax increases in Malaysia and Indonesia, while Vietnam waived all duties on dried tobacco imports from Cambodia, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance said in a report released on Monday.
“We have found that the tobacco industry does not take a holiday from undermining or thwarting or delaying government efforts to control tobacco use,” Mary Assunta Kolandai, senior policy adviser for the alliance, said. (The Guardian, UK, 27.11.2017)