Back to Basics #6: Calculating the Economic Cost of Smoking

The sixth Back2Basics policy brief has just been published, discussing Calculating the Economic Cost of Smoking. The brief is authored by Dr Micheal Kofi Boachie.

From our engagement with government officials and other important stakeholders, we have noticed that there is growing interest in the topic of tobacco taxation. The challenge however, is that many policy makers aren’t necessarily experts in tobacco control, and do not have the time to read extensively on the subject.

We thought we’d do some of the heavy lifting for them, by creating a series of “Back to Basics” policy briefs covering key themes. Published under the banner of the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Tobacco Taxation and Illicit Trade, the one-page briefs are accessible and easy to read, yet still contain the most important information regarding various tobacco-taxation topics.

Our first B2B in the range looks at Tobacco Administration, with the second investigating The rationale for tobacco tax and price measures. The third, published in August 2019, offers A Call for Open Access Data on Tobacco Taxation. Price elasticity was the fourth B2B, and with B2B#5 discussing the Solution to Illicit Trade, was published in October.

Cite: Boachie, M. (2019). “Calculating the Economic Cost of Smoking”, REEP Back to Basics Policy Brief: B2B#6. November 2019, University of Cape Town.