The next elected government from the 2019 General Election needs to raise cigarette excise taxes to the highest possible extent and revise the Constitution No. 39 of 2007 concerning Excise taxes to increase the minimum excise tax limit to 70 percent,
Jakarta (ANTARA) -
Nineteen civil society organizations, led by the National Tobacco Control Committee, urged the next elected government, following the 2019 General Election, to be more assertive in controlling tobacco sales, in a bid to protect Indonesian citizens from the adverse effects of tobacco.

"The next elected government from the 2019 General Election needs to raise cigarette excise taxes to the highest possible extent and revise the Constitution No. 39 of 2007 concerning Excise taxes to increase the minimum excise tax limit to 70 percent, in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO)", stated a joint community organization press release received in Jakarta on Thursday.

Another recommendation stated that the elected governments have to create non-smoking areas in each province and district/city, and includes a ban on outdoor and indoor cigarette advertisements.

Likewise, the ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of cigarettes must also be fully applied in all media, including in print, electronic, and internet.

Moreover, the elected government has to tighten its supervision and sales of tobacco products. One of them is by banning the display of cigarette products.

The elected government also needs to strengthen the pictorial health warning rules on cigarette packaging, as an effective and efficient public education tool on the dangers of smoking, according to WHO recommendations.

Finally, the elected government is urged to immediately access the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), in recognition of Indonesia's commitment to control tobacco sales at the global level.

Those recommendations were conveyed by 19 civil society organizations in recognition of World No Tobacco Day, which is held every May 31.
Besides the National Tobacco Control Commission, other civil society organizations include the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), the Jakarta City Citizens Forum (FAKTA), Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts (IAKMI), Institute for Social Development (IISD), the Network of Women Caring for Tobacco Control (JP3T), No Tobacco Community (NoTC), University of Indonesia Social Security Study Center (PKJS UI), Puan Muda, Indonesian Meditation House, Smoke Free Jakarta, IAKMI Tobacco Control Support Center (TCSC-IAKMI), Children's Lantern Foundation, and Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI).



Translator: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Suharto
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