From: Jamaica Observer
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“Even more alarming, is the release’s reference to a report from the WHO noting that if countries raised cigarette taxes by about 80 cents per pack, annual tax revenues could increase by 47 per cent, amounting to an additional $140 billion per year,” Carreras said in a release.
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“The truth is when prices are too high in comparison with the available income and what people are willing to pay, the opportunity and incentive for the illicit trade in cigarettes increases. This scenario is the current reality in Jamaica as years of successive and excessive levels of increase in tobacco excise, has led to an exponential increase in the presence of illegal cigarettes and a dramatic decline in legal cigarette volumes.
