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Tax increases are among the most effective ways to reduce smoking.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Yvette van der Eijk
Singapore’s decision on Feb 12 to raise tobacco taxes is a welcome move for public health. Tax increases are among the most effective ways to reduce smoking. The 15 per cent tax increase of February 2023 reduced cigarette consumption by 7.5 per cent, and the rise in February 2026, which was higher at 20 per cent, is expected to have an even stronger impact.
But taxes alone rarely end the story.
