Disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation among various WHO FCTC Parties

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco taxation is the most effective way to prevent and reduce tobacco use. However, all tobacco products are not taxed in the same manner or same rate across countries. Hence, this study aimed to identify the total tobacco tax disparity among countries that are Parties to the WHO FCTC agreement. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the signees of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. The trends of taxation on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products were retrieved from WHO FCTC reports published in 2017 and 2018; median tax percentages were then compared based on the economic status of the countries and their corresponding WHO region. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Maximum disparity between cigarette and smokeless tobacco taxation was observed in the South-East Asia region, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific, and African regions. The disparity was comparatively less in the region of the Americas and the European region (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was variation in tobacco taxation among various FCTC Parties according to the economic status and WHO region of each country.