BAT’s sly smoke screen

British American Tobacco (BAT) has once again presented inflated figures about the size of the illicit trade of tobacco in SA, with no verification whatsoever (Half of cigarette sales are illegal, says BAT, February 6).

The National Council Against Smoking views all illicit trade in tobacco as a crime that needs to be addressed. One needs to understand BAT’s motivation: it wants to create a false perception of the illicit trade being very high and to use this to intimidate National Treasury to reduce taxes on tobacco products.

BAT is also against proposed policy changes, such as the proposal to ban all indoor smoking, which will help to keep the harmful toxins in cigarette smoke away from nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke has been linked to heart disease, lung disease and respiratory problems.

The country must continue to introduce policies that will protect the eight out of 10 South Africans who are nonsmokers, as well as assist current smokers to stop smoking or smoke less. We must also introduce policies such as a ban on advertising cigarettes at the point of sale, to prevent new smokers from starting the habit.

The health and economic costs of smoking are extreme and are carried by the taxpayer. BAT must not be allowed to spread misinformation in an attempt to stop the health department from addressing this health and tax burden.

Savera Kalideen

Executive director, National Council Against Smoking