Cigarettes account for around 8% of family income in Brazil – 05/31/2023 – Market
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A survey by Inca (National Cancer Institute) concluded that smokers in Brazil commit about 8% of the monthly per capita family income to the consumption of industrialized cigarettes. Among younger people, less educated or people living in poorer states, the percentage is even higher.
Published on World No Tobacco Day, this Wednesday (31), the report relied on data from the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS) for researchers to estimate the impact of buying cigarettes on the population’s income. Among the authors is André Szklo, a researcher at Inca’s population research division.
For him, the data “further reinforces the need for the tax reform to have a look at the price and tax policy for tobacco products”. Since 2016, there has been no readjustment in the taxation of these goods, nor has there been an increase in the minimum price practiced.
In addition to the national data, the study stratified spending by country’s states. Acre has the highest percentage: around 14% of per capita family income is devoted to cigarettes. On the other hand, Mato Grosso do Sul and Distrito Federal were the two units with the lowest average, with 6%.
Among younger people, spending is above the country’s average. Among those aged 15 to 24, the cost of smoking is approximately 10% of per capita household income. Those with less schooling also caught the researchers’ attention: those who did not finish elementary school spend around 11% of their budget.
“We have a portion of individuals who continue to smoke […] or a portion of young people who start smoking because they end up finding a cheap product”, he says.
Szklo sees that the data are indicative of the importance of raising cigarette prices. He explains that this causes people to stop smoking or not even start the habit associated with a series of health problems.
The logic is not new: surveys both in Brazil and in other countries have already indicated that price increases are one of the main ways to reduce tobacco consumption. The measure is one of those recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization) to combat access to the product.
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