Officials with the Hastings and Prince Edward health unit are welcoming the new tobacco tax announced in last week’s provincial budget.
Provincial tobacco taxes will be increased by $3.00 per carton of 200 cigarettes effective immediately, with future annual increases for the next five years.
Tobacco control manager Roberto Almeida says he would have liked to see a $10.00 hike since Ontario has the lowest tobacco tax across Canada.
Almeida says the higher tax does not increase contraband sales as indicated by the Coalition against Contraband Tobacco and the Convenience Stores Association. He says those numbers are inflated.
The budget included increased funding for smoking cessation programs as well.
Medical officer of health Dr. Richard Schabas says “We are an organization long committed to providing smoking cessation services to the communities we serve and, as such are pleased to see this reinvestment in cessation programming, which will help Ontario smokers who need it most. We look forward to aligning our cessation services with new provincial cessation programming.”
For more information on HPEPH’s tobacco control program including its Quit Smoking clinics, you can visit www.hpepublichealth.ca, email TTL@hpeph.ca, or call 1-800-267-2803 / 613-966-5500, ext. 600.
