Lawmakers work with bars to gather public opinion on combating illicit cigarettes

Lawmakers are teaming up with bars and newspaper vendors to gather public opinions on strategies to combat the sale of illicit cigarettes.

The survey, set to run for two weeks starting from late September, will feature QR codes placed in nearly 700 locations across Hong Kong, including convenience stores, eateries, and newspaper stalls. These QR codes are intended to collect suggestions from citizens and smokers on how to tackle the problem of illicit cigarettes.

The lawmaker spearheading this survey highlighted that tobacco tax revenue in Hong Kong dropped by more than 50 percent year-on-year from March to July, while the smoking population only saw a slight decrease of four percent.

This discrepancy suggests that the increase in taxes led people to purchase illicit cigarettes rather than quitting smoking, thereby undermining the intended effect of the tax increase.

Steven Ho Chun-yin, one of the lawmakers involved, acknowledged the long-term health risks associated with smoking but emphasized the need for a more reasonable smoke ban policy.

During discussions in the legislative council, Ho, along with lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai, said that while raising the tobacco tax was not an issue, it was crucial to address related issues such as the proliferation of illicit cigarettes.

Ho expressed his hope that, by shrinking the market for illegal cigarettes, consumers would be encouraged to purchase through legitimate channels.

He also hoped that future policies would eliminate the market for illicit cigarette vendors without unfairly causing them to lose business.