During a dialogue session hosted by the National Planning Institute in Cairo, the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, reviewed the results of the report “The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Taxes in Egypt.” The most important findings and recommendations concluded in the report were discussed, which comes within the framework of a project launched by the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, in cooperation with the Social Policy and Development Center (SPDC), and the organization World Health (WHO).
The report was prepared by an Egyptian research team led by Professor Dr. Khaled Hanafi, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers. The final results of the study were presented at the UIC Think Tank Partners Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, from 28 to 29 November 2022. The final report was completed in July 2023.
The dialogue session was moderated by Dr. Ashraf El-Arabi, President of the National Planning Institute, with the participation of Advisor to the Prime Minister of Egypt, Jihan Saleh, experts from the World Health Organization in Egypt, and economic experts at the Center for Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Professor Dr. Heba Nassar - Professor at the Faculty of Economics, former Vice President of Cairo University, and President of the Arab Network for Health Economics. The dialogue session was also attended by a large number of researchers, academics, experts, workers and decision-makers in the field of tobacco economics from various parties. Dr. Naima Al-Qassir attended as a representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt, and Dr. Fakhri Al-Feki, Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, in addition to a number of experts from the Ministry of Health and Environment, the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Authority, in order to exchange ideas and experiences and learn about the latest developments in this field.
Dr. Khaled Hanafi explained, “The average per capita consumption of cigarettes in Egypt reaches 6,000 cigarettes annually, while the global average is 1,150 cigarettes annually. Tobacco sales in Egypt reach about 135 billion pounds annually,” pointing out that “the price elasticity of cigarettes is 0.55".
Hanafi stressed "the need to pay attention to protecting and reducing the number of new smokers, by working to reduce the demand for cigarettes."
Dr. Khaled Hanafi noted, “The necessity of directing taxes on tobacco to support the health care system,” pointing out that “the report recommended the need to establish more effective incentives, especially in some poor areas, to reduce the rates of new smokers and work to increase smoking cessation rates. In addition to raising the age of people allowed to buy cigarettes from 18 years to 21 years, and the need to organize greater media awareness campaigns.”
Dr. Khaled Hanafi appreciated the role of the National Planning Institute, led by Dr. Ashraf El-Arabi, stressing, “The Institute is the most prestigious research institution in the region and has imprints throughout history in supporting policymakers and decision-makers in Egypt.” Hanafi thanked all members of the research team who participated with him in producing the report, stressing that they are embarking on a new research project in this field that targets the positive effects of smoking on the social, health, and economic levels.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
