Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Turkey sells some of the cheapest tobacco in the world. A simple 10% tax hike would decrease youth smoking by 15%.

If we truly want to reduce tobacco use in our country, influencing youth behavior is central to our success. Research has shown that nearly 95% of adults who smoke started smoking before the age of 21. If we take steps to make it harder for youth to access these products, we can potentially prevent a whole new generation from starting this habit and becoming addicted to nicotine and tobacco in the first place.

Evidence suggests that increases in tobacco taxation are the most effective means of reducing tobacco use. These taxes, recommended by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, increase the price of tobacco products in shops, reducing their affordability – a situation which encourages smokers to quit, and deters others from starting in the first place.

Not only do taxes typically discourage smoking, leading to greater health benefits, but they can increase revenues diverted to health services.

Raising taxes on tobacco is the most effective way to drive down smoking rates, particularly among young people.

A large body of evidence demonstrates that applying excise taxes on tobacco products on a sustained basis so that people cannot afford them is currently the most effective policy instrument to discourage smoking.