The package of anti-tobacco laws was submitted to the parliamentary commission on social protection, health and family and was discussed at public debates that involved representatives of the Ministry of Health and of tobacco businesses. The businessmen proposed a number of amendments concerning the dimensions of the programs delivering warning messages about the noxious effects of smoking, the form of cigarette packs etc. For their part, the representatives of the Ministry of Health insisted on the effects of smoking on health, IPN reports.
Vladimir Hotineanu, head of the parliamentary commission on social protection, health and family, said the mankind has smoked for 500 years, but smoking started to be banned 30 years ago. “We have spoken about the necessity of imposing a tax on smokers since 2009, but there are yet no such provisions. If we want to be a healthy society, we must think about and be responsible for the people’s public health,” he stated.
Deputy Head of Parliament Liliana Palihovici underlined that the discussions on the anti-tobacco laws are very heated and have as protagonists economic entities on the one hand and institutions responsible for the protection of people’s health on the other hand. Beyond economic interests, the law must have a positive impact on people’s health. For his part, head of the parliamentary commission on economy, budget and finance Veaceslav Ionita said that after the excises on tobacco were raised in 2009, the state budget revenues increased ten times, to 1.2 billion lei a year.
The MP said the fight against the effects of smoking can be more effective if the excise duties are raised ten times in the next few years so that those who smoke pay tax on the money they spent on cigarettes. However, the increase in excises on tobacco products poses two risks – smuggling and counterfeiting. “Our commission will address the issue of combating the two phenomena so that the smokers are punished by higher excises on cigarettes and are protected from contraband and counterfeit products. Only this way will we have an efficient policy for discouraging smoking,” he stated.
Tutun CTC director general Ala Sirbu said the bills stipulate restrictive measures on the placement of informative messages on packages of cigarettes that do not obey the fiscal legislation, etc. If the production of cigarettes without filter is banned, the company will sustain losses of about 40%. According to her, in Moldova three will anyway be cigarettes without filter, intended mainly for people on low incomes, which will enter Moldova through the Transnistrian segment, which is not controlled by the constitutional authorities.
Businessmen’s proposals will be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, which will afterward propose amendments to the package of anti-tobacco laws.
The package of anti-tobacco laws ban smoking in closed and semi-closed places, at the workplace and in public units of transport. They stipulate penalties for managers of places where smoking is banned and for smokers. They also provide that the cigarette selling kiosks must be situated at a distance of at least 200 meters between them and of 50 meters from education establishments and medical-sanitary institutions.
