Finance Minister urged to raise taxes on tobacco products, protect women

Keeping the forthcoming Union Budget 2023–24 in mind, non-government organisations working for the welfare of women and children across the country and self-help groups (SHGs) are making an appeal to the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, to raise taxes on all tobacco products to protect the health of women and girl children. 

Women and child welfare organisations working in nine states of the country, namely Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, West Bengal, and the union territory of Puducherry, have cited several studies conducted both in the country and outside that show that tobacco usage by women in any manner is harmful to reproductive health and affects pregnancy outcomes. The risk of cervical cancer sharply increases with tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes. 

According to the 139th Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare on “Cancer Care Plan and Management: Prevention, Diagnosis, Research, and Affordability of Cancer Treatment,” cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age with a high death rate in India. As per India’s National Cancer Registry Program and the last round of the National Health and Family Welfare Survey, female smoking rates were higher in those areas with higher rates of cervical cancer, compared to registries with lower rates of cervical cancer. It also noted that tobacco use is one of the most prominent risk factors associated with cancer. 

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)-2, 28% of the adult (age 15+) population in India currently uses tobacco products, with 14% of these being women. Non-smokers and women who do not use tobacco suffer from several health problems like cancer, lung diseases.