Philippines tobacco tax provides govt with guarantee to increase health budget

According to a recent report by the Philippine Star, the tobacco tax collected by the Philippines provides a guarantee for the government to increase its health budget. According to a recently released study, since 2012, the Philippine government has levied taxes on tobacco, alcohol and other products amounting to 1.1 trillion Philippine pesos (1 Philippine peso is approximately 0.13 yuan). The Philippine health budget will grow from Php 53 billion in 2013 to Php 309 billion in 2023, an increase of nearly six times. Currently, a pack of cigarettes in the Philippines sells for about Php 100, and each cigarette costs about Php 5.