As confirmed by the spokesman of the Ministry Zlatan Perčić, a working group was founded which, besides the representatives of this institution, include the consultants of the World Bank which is interested in funding this project. Moreover, Perčić said that the Ministry expects the law to be sent to procedure next year and to eventually replace the existing law from 1998.
The intention is to harmonize BH Legislation with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the directives of the European Union (EU) in this field.
B&H is among the top countries according to the number of smokers – 32 percent of total population smoke cigarettes. The world atlas of tobacco states that nearly every second man and more than a third of women in B&H consume cigarettes. According to the same source, one smoker in B&H consumes an average of 2,278 cigarettes per year. Moreover, 77.3 percent of young people aged between 13 to 15 are exposed to passive smoking; 14.3 percent of boys and 9.4 percent of girls in the mentioned age group consume cigarettes.
Data of the Indirect Taxation Authority of B&H show that the excise taxes, and therefore the prices of cigarettes, have increased several times during past years, but that the income on this basis still grows. With the law which is currently going through a preliminary draft creation stage, the FB&H will try to put an end to this scourge.
(Source: radiosarajevo.ba/ photo oslobodjenje)
