Country Level Data on Positive Results from

Tobacco Tax Implementation

The Philippines implemented a series of tax increases starting 2012, by 2017 the average price per pack
increased by more than 78% from PHP 24.25 to PHP 43.29 and in a similar period, smoking prevalence
among adult Filipinos decreased from 28.3% in 2009 to 22.7% in 2015.1

In the United Kingdom, between 1992 and 2011, the price of tobacco increased more than 200%. In the
same period, cigarette sales declined 51% and the adult smoking prevalence dropped from 27% in 2000
to 20% in 2010.

Only 15 low-and- middle income countries, including Brazil and Colombia, have sufficiently high enough
tobacco taxes that make up 75% of the retail price. 2

In Ukraine, the average price of a pack of cigarettes more than tripled between 2007 and 2017, in the
same period tobacco sales dropped by almost 50% and between 2010 and 2017 current smoking rate
decreased significantly from 28.3 percent to 22.8 percent.3

After Thailand increased its tobacco tax, the Asian Development bank estimated that "the poor paid only
6% of increased tobacco taxes", but that 60% of the avoided deaths from the tax increase were in the
poorest third of the population. 4

Between 2006 and 2011, as a result of cigarette excise tax increases, cigarette pack prices in Brazil
increased 34 percent and adult consumption dropped 19 percent. In 2012, Brazil introduced a mixed tax
structure for cigarettes that increased specific tax rates above expected inflation. Between 2012 and
2016, prices increased by 33 percent, and consumption per adult declined almost 50 percent. 5

1 Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Tobacco Tax Success Stories Philippines Factsheet. Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Kids 2017.

2
World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2019: Offer help to quit tobacco use,
Appendix VII, Table 9.1. 2019.

3
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Tobacco Tax Success Stories Ukraine Factsheet. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
2017.Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Comparison Fact Sheet. Ukraine 2010 & 2017.

4
World Health Organization. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2015: Raising taxes on tobacco. 2015.

5
Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health (2019). Health Taxes to Save Lives: Employing Effective Excise Taxes on
Tobacco, Alcohol, and Sugary Beverages. Chairs: Michael R. Bloomberg and Lawrence H. Summers. New York:
Bloomberg Philanthropies. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.org/program/public-health/task-force-fiscal-
policy-health/
In 2016, Colombia increased the specific tax on cigarettes by 200 percent and set a 4-
percentage point annual increase on top of inflation. Cigarette consumption in 2017 dropped by
23 percent from 2016, while tobacco tax revenues increased by 54 percent. 6
Between 2012 and 2017, as a result of annual cigarette excise tax increases, cigarette pack
prices in Philippines increased by more than 78% and adult consumption fell from 28.3% in
2009 to 22.7% in 2015. In 2012, Philippines began increasing the specific tax rates and
reducing the number of tax tiers. Between 2012 and 2015, domestic cigarette sales dropped by
28.1% and between 2012 and 2016, government revenue from the tobacco tax tripled, which
funded National Health Insurance Program coverage for 10.8 million low-income families prices.
7

Between 2007 and 2017, Ukraine has significantly increased its specific excise rate almost
every year. As a result, the price of an average pack has tripled, cigarettes sales fell by 50%
and the government collected 15 times more revenue from the tobacco taxes. Between 2010
and 2017, the smoking rate dropped from 28.3% to 22.8%. 8

6
Task Force on Fiscal Policy for Health (2019). Health Taxes to Save Lives: Employing Effective Excise Taxes on
Tobacco, Alcohol, and Sugary Beverages. Chairs: Michael R. Bloomberg and Lawrence H. Summers. New York:
Bloomberg Philanthropies. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.org/program/public-health/task-force-fiscal-
policy-health/
7
Source: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Philippines Tobacco Tax Success Story. 2017. Available
at:https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/global/pdfs/en/success_Philippines_en.pdf
8
Mirza, M. Large Tax Increases Are the Most Effective Policy for Reducing Tobacco Use. Tobacconomics, 2019.
Available at: https://tobacconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/UIC_Large-Tax-Increases-Policy-
Brief_v3.3_MM-2.pdf