The government should increase tobacco tax by 5 per cent a year if it is to successfully lower the number of people smoking, the head of the Medical Association said yesterday.
Legislator Lo Wing-lok, who also represents the medical sector, said raising the tax was the most effective means of stopping more people falling victim to smoking.
He was speaking after a meeting of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health.
'I suggested to [financial secretary] Henry Tang Ying-yen last month that the government should increase the tobacco tax by 5 per cent every year, taking into account inflation and deflation,' he said.
Dr Lo also accused the tobacco companies of hypocrisy over their sponsorship of youth-smoking prevention campaigns.
'The tobacco companies will use the youth-smoking prevention campaigns as excuses to oppose any increase in tobacco tax, or further bans on tobacco advertisements,' he said.