Tax bureau pushes project on cigarette security stamp

"We are looking for government printing offices such as the NPO (National Printing Office) and the APO (Asian Productivity Organization)," BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares said in an interview on Friday. The central bank was one of the earlier options, but it begged off since it wanted to focus on printing currency, she added. The security stamps, to be printed on cigar and cigarette packs, aims to stem the counterfeiting and smuggling of tobacco products and plug the leakage of excise tax in the country.

 The safeguard was required by Republic Act (RA) 8240 in 1997, but it has never been implemented. Switzerland-based Sicpa Products Security SA bagged the security stamp project in a 2010 bidding, but the contract was reversed by the Justice department after a probe found that it didn’t meet government criteria. However, Ms. Henares is determined to get the security stamp tax project off the ground this time. "We will bid and implement the fees on stamps by this year," she said. "This will not depend on the passage of the ‘sin’ tax law," she added, referring to the excise tax reform bill, which aims to raise excise taxes on tobacco and liquor.

 The House of Representatives approved its version of the bill early this month, but deliberations have yet to begin in Senate. Moreover, the BIR is not requiring a particular technology for the security stamps. RA 8240 only stated that stamps could be a "bar code or fuson design" to be "firmly and conspicuously affixed on each pack of cigars and cigarettes(read more: click here)." "There is no preconceived process. The bidders can present their technology and that will be part of the features of their bid," she explained. In a related development, Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. (PMFTC), which now controls more than 90% of the cigarette industry, offered its expertise for the security stamp tax project.

"We have always tried to work with the BIR in different administrations to improve tax administration. We will continue to do so, and we stand ready to assist," PMFTC President Chris Nelson said. But, the BIR chief reiterated her stance that cigarette companies will not be allowed to join the bid due to a conflict of interest. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization -- of which the Philippines is a signatory -- also prohibits the participation of cigarette companies in regulatory measures, for the same reason. Mr. Nelson said PMFTC still believes security stamps are not integral to better taxation of cigarettes.

"I think they can improve tax administration without stamps, and I think that’s something that they can work on." Ms. Henares stressed that "If they (tobacco firms) want to help, the best way is to cooperate with the government when the fees on stamps are implemented. That is the cooperation we need from them."

House OKs cigarette tax hike

Smokers are likely to pay $1 more a pack after the Illinois House on Friday approved a cigarette tax increase to avoid even deeper cuts to health care for the poor. The House has long been the stumbling block to higher tobacco taxes, so the 60-52 vote is viewed at the Capitol as tantamount to passage. The bill now moves to the Senate, where Democrats in the past have backed raising the cigarette tax. The $1 increase would bring the state cigarette tax to $1.98 and push the cost of smokes to nearly $11 a pack in some parts of Chicago.

Friday's vote came a day after lawmakers approved $1.6 billion in cuts to taxpayer-subsidized Medicaid services. If the tax increase had failed in the House, lawmakers would have had to look for more cuts. "Today's action will improve the health of our people and lower the burden of smoking-related conditions on our Medicaid system, while helping to fill the $2.7 billion Medicaid shortfall and stabilize the system for those that need it," Gov. Pat Quinn said in a statement. The tobacco debate unfolded as House members appeared poised to take action as early as Saturday on plans for a revamp of public employee pensions, which have been major drivers of spending in a state that can't pay its bills and has the nation's most underfunded retirement plan. House Speaker Michael Madigan is hoping to reduce automatic compounded cost-of-living increases to save billions. Madigan's concept, which he unveiled during an interview with the Illinois Channel website, offers government workers a choice.

They could opt for a pension plan that would pay less to future retirees but guarantee access to state health insurance, or lose access to state health insurance and keep getting annual cost-of-living increases though future raises would not be included in calculating their pension. Under discussion are plans that would allow current retirees to keep their state health insurance by taking a lower cost-of-living increase. Those who continue accepting the 3 percent adjustments would have to find their own health insurance. A provision to raise the retirement age for state employees from 65 in most cases to 67 was dropped from negotiations. In addition, Madigan is pushing a plan to force local school districts and public universities to pay into state retirement plans, something that could boost local property taxes and tuition rates.

 Also Friday, senators sent the House a measure that would force local governments to pick up the tab if it hires a former lawmaker for a short-term job with a big salary that automatically increases a state pension. The measure was prompted by a pension-sweetening deal discovered by the Tribune and WGN-TV in which former Rep. Robert Molaro, D-Chicago, nearly doubled his pension by working one month as an aide to powerful Chicago Ald. Edward Burke. But it was the tax increase that took Friday's spotlight in Springfield. The cigarette tax hike had long been viewed as a key but controversial component of Illinois' Medicaid funding problem. Under the plan, the state also would tax small cigars at the same rate as cigarettes. Taxes would hit so-called roll-your-own cigarettes, and the levy on other tobacco products would double.

Man Fakes Identity to Steal Cigarettes

Property Damage: A vehicle was broken into at St. Louis Mills. There were no items stolen. There was damage to the vehicle. Burglary: Two burglaries occurred in the same night in Hazelwood. The first was in the 6600 block of Monte Drive. The second burglary occurred in the 1000 block of Christina Marie Court less than two block away from the first burglary.

 May 10 Tampering: A juvenile was taken into custody for tampering with items at Cabela's. Second-Degree Burglary: A vacant residence in the 900 block of Chula was broken into. The rear door was pried open an it occurred near where two burglaries occurred the night prior. Drug Arrest: A man was arrested at the intersection of Hazelcrest and Sieloff drives. He was found to be in possession of drugs. Assault: An individual was arrested in the 7400 block of Hazelcrest Drive for assaulting their neighbor. Drug Arrest: Marijuana was located during a traffic stop at the intersection of North Lindbergh Boulevard and Utz Lane. The driver was arrested.

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Fight over cigarette tax comes to Sonoma County

Facing a statewide advertising barrage aimed at defeating Prop. 29, local supporters of the cigarette tax initiative are waging their own voter information blitz through phone banks aimed at reaching voters directly. With only three days left before Tuesday's election, the final skirmishes over the initiative are playing out all over the state, including Sonoma County, where the new county health officer made a public appeal to voters.

 Lynn Silver Chalfin, a former assistant health commissioner for New York City, said voter approval of Prop. 29 would save lives by reducing the number of people who smoke or become addicted to smoking. “Smoking is like an earthquake that hits Sonoma County every year,” she said, adding that smoking is linked to 500 deaths each year in Sonoma County caused by cancer, heart and lung disease. For their part, opponents say the initiative, while well-meaning, is flawed and creates a huge spending program with no oversight by the governor or Legislature.

 “We all support cancer research, but at a time when we have a $16 billion budget deficit and can't even fund schools, the last thing this state needs is another unaccountable spending program,” said Joel Fox, president of the Los-Angeles based Small Business Action Committee. Fox, whose group is part of the statewide coalition opposing Prop. 29, said the measure allows “tax dollars to be spent creating jobs in other states” and creates large, uncontrolled bureaucracy. Supporters call such claims misleading and political scare tactics. According to the state voter information guide, Prop. 29 would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1, raising the total cigarette tax in California to $1.87.

Ohio colleges urged to ban tobacco on campus

The head of Ohio’s higher education board says he’s introducing a measure to urge public college leaders to ban tobacco on their campuses. Ohio Board of Regents Chairman James Tuschman tells The Plain Dealer in Cleveland it’s “the right thing to do.” He plans to present a resolution at the meeting this month. State law restricts smoking in and near many college buildings, but people can smoke on college greens and other open areas on most Ohio campuses.

Trustees at each of the state’s 14 universities and 23 community colleges would have to decide whether to create a stricter ban for their respective campuses. That idea has support from Chancellor Jim Petro, who smoked daily for decades before being diagnosed with cancer in his neck. He’s now cancer-free. More about free tobacco here.

High drop-out rate hits Delhi's tobacco cessation centres

The sight of haphazardly placed posters and pamphlets saying 'Quit Smoking' and showing a stubbed out cigarette in an ashtray signals a smoker's failed attempt at kicking the butt. In what experts call 'been there, not done that', tobacco de-addiction centres are now grappling with a high drop-out rate coupled with a dismal quitting rate among tobacco users. "At public cessation centres, the motivation level among tobacco users(read more) is very low as most of them join under familial pressure," Harpreet Mehar, clinical psychologist at the department of rehabilitation in Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, told IANS.

 "Adding to this, tobacco is so addictive that they are not able to overpower their urge and leave course midway," he said. RML Hospital is one of three government-run de-addiction centres in the national capital. The other two are the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and the V.P. Chest Institute. In these centres, most addicts leave mid-way due to lack of awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. "Of the 400 patients we have dealt with in the last three years, only 6-7 percent were able to quit tobacco. After some infrastructural issues, we integrated the cessation centre with our psychiatry department," Mehar said. For the country with nearly 274.9 million tobacco users, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) says nearly 26 percent of them use smokeless tobacco, six percent are cigarette smokers, and nine percent smoke bidi. Tobacco is the leading cause of cancer deaths in India. 

Nimesh Desai, head of the IHBAS de-addiction centre, said apart from lack of awareness, many people also quit the clinic in between because there was no follow-up mechanism. "Tobacco cessation centres (TCCs) have evolved in a way that we now see participation from cancer specialists, psychiatrists, voluntary organisations and pulmonologists. Even then, low awareness, lack of follow-up and tracking mechanism are ailing the clinics," he told IANS. Desai also said that three clinics for over 16 million people in Delhi was insufficient. IHBAS gets 25-30 cases a month. But it recorded a quitting rate of 11 percent in 2011. Forty-six percent cases were lost to follow-ups. Like banker Mohnish Grover, who had been at a tobacco de-addiction centre for two years but could not quit smoking. "Corporate culture had made stress and smoking an inseparable part of life. I could not be regular with my counselling sessions and left the idea of quitting two months ago," Grover, 25, told IANS.

 Another roadblock is that the RML and IHBAS cessation clinics operate from psychiatry centres. This puts off many prospective quitters, say doctors working there. The third centre is housed in a TB clinic. "A cessation centre operating from a mental illness hospital means stigma for people. Small outreach clinics at markets, public offices and colleges are needed," Smita N. Deshpande, head of the department of psychiatry and drug de-addiction at RML Hospital, told IANS. "Funds, infrastructure, awareness, advocacy -- the approach to fighting tobacco needs to be on a war footing. It's when you talk to people at the cessation centres that you realise how firmly under tobacco's grip is our population," she said. There is a need for right societal approach and family support to help addicts quit tobacco, doctors said. "If the will power is missing, then these self-help tips and behavioural interventions don't make sense," said Mehar. "If your family and friends support you and stop you from indulging in this cancerous activity, then quitting tobacco is possible."

World No Tobacco Day Proven Successful

May 31 marked the 25th anniversary of World No Tobacco Day, a day set aside by the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw global attention to the devastating health results that come from using tobacco products. On earlier anniversaries, public health officials couldn't tell if the program was effective in encouraging people to stop smoking, but that's changed. Every year, Americans observe the Great American Smoke Out, a day set aside to encourage smokers to go without a cigarette for one day. Suddenly giving up a habit is referred to as "going cold turkey." In Knoxville, Tennessee, smokers on one anniversary could trade in their cigarettes for a real cold turkey.

 One day events like The Great American Smoke Out or World No Tobacco Day usually get publicity, but it was impossible to scientifically determine their effectiveness. The Google search engine changed all of that. Joanna Cohen heads the Global Tobacco Initiative at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "Today with the tools of Google News and being able to analyze Internet search queries, you can actually pinpoint the effects of actual days," noted Cohen. The researchers picked several countries in Latin America for their study. Among the reasons: Spanish is the main language so the researchers were able to examine the impact of World No Tobacco Day in many countries with only one language. What they found was encouraging for health officials who are trying to get people to quit smoking.

 "If you look at people searching for how to quit smoking which would be the logical next step - awareness and then interest in cessation - we see on average about 40 percent increase in all those countries in all years from 2000 onward," said John Ayers, the study's lead author who spoke to VOA via Skype. The researchers say these spikes in interest on how to quit smoking could have potentially large health implications. "What our study shows is that World No Tobacco Day is having a significant impact on raising interest in and awareness of cessation in these developing countries," added Ayers. The researchers say this information will help the health ministries in countries around the world because if they know that their citizens are interested in information on how to stop smoking, the ministries can provide better online information on World No Tobacco Day to help people kick the smoking habit.