Photo from Martina Nardi’s Instagram page
Interview with the President of the Productive Activities Commission
During the discussion on the Milleproroghe decree, a group of deputies of the Democratic Party proposes to delay by one year the annual increase on the taxation of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco expected for the next two years. The measure is foreseen by the amendments signed by Buratti, Nardi, Benamati, Bonomo, Gavino Manca, Soverini, Zardini, which thus intend to compensate for the fact that classic cigarettes have not undergone increases for about two years. Affaritaliani.it talked about it with Martina Nardi, President of the Xth Commission (Productive Activities, Commerce and Tourism): “Traditional tobacco has not increased in recent years, contrary to what has happened almost everywhere around the world. Instead, there has been a significant increase in the price of heated tobacco and this has penalized the investments – even very significant ones – that can be implemented in our country “.
From a public health point of view, does this proposal go in the direction of harm reduction?
“Yes, there is a difference between classic cigarettes and heated tobacco, various studies show. There is certainly a decrease in damage. In addition to this there is an objective anomaly: in the rest of the world cigarettes cost more, precisely in order not to induce the addiction of smoking. Since heated tobacco is different, I think it is right to treat it differently. In recent years, the reverse has happened: we have penalized heated tobacco, producing an extremely significant increase. This is why we want to tackle the issue in another way: if anything, it is normal tobacco that must be penalized “.
You mentioned various foreign countries, is your proposal inspired by that of New Zealand by Labor Premier Jacinda Ardern?
“Yes, but also around Europe there are several similar cases. In general, looking at taxation around the world it is emblematic how much the tobacco heated by us has been taxed. The upsurge that has taken place here has not occurred in any other country ”.
#Milleproroghe #Nardi #postpone #increases #heated #tobacco