High rates of smoking are threatening Viet Nam’s national tobacco control and health targets, and its long-term aspiration of becoming a high-income country by 2045, according to a new publication by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Today, WHO in Viet Nam launched “Tobacco Taxation to Advance Health and Sustainable Development in Viet Nam,” a policy brief that draws on international evidence and uses a global tax simulation model to weigh up the effect of different tax options on health and the economy in Viet Nam.
The brief strongly recommends applying a higher rate of tobacco tax to help achieve the ambitions that the Government of Viet Nam has for the health of its people and for the country’s prosperity.
WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt said, “Viet Nam’s National Assembly has a unique opportunity in its upcoming session. Reforms to Viet Nam’s tobacco tax policy could significantly reduce tobacco’s harmful impact on social and economic development, as well as deliver significant social and economic benefits.
“The country’s current tobacco tax system is not aligned with international best practice, as recommended by WHO. Reforming the tobacco tax system in Viet Nam could achieve a "win-win” scenario: a win for public health, and a win of generating additional revenue for investment in key Government priorities.”
For the full policy brief, please contact:
Email: wpvnmmedia@who.int