Tobacconomics Cigarette Tax Scorecard: 2nd Edition

27 Oct 2021
27 Oct 2021

On 8 November 2021, the Tobacconomics team at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) will release the second edition of the Tobacconomics Cigarette Tax Scorecard, rating cigarette tax systems in over 160 countries based on international best practices.

This edition of the Scorecard shows that, overall, many countries are improving their tobacco tax systems and rates, and thus, scores are improving. But they are not improving enough to significantly reduce tobacco use, and among a few groups some indicators are going in the wrong direction.

Following the biennial release of WHO’s Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2021, the Tobacconomics Cigarette Tax Scorecard (2nd edition) will use the newly released data to assess countries’ cigarette tax policies with respect to consistency with WHO FCTC Article 6 Guidelines, the updated WHO Technical Manual on Tobacco Tax Policy and Administration, the NCI/WHO Monograph, and other research on effective tobacco taxation.

Similar to the first edition, the 2021 Scorecard is based on four key components:

  • Cigarette price
  • Change in affordability
  • Tax structure
  • Tax share of retail price

The virtual release of the 2nd Edition Scorecard will take place in parallel to the FCTC COP9 on 8 November 2021. The Scorecard results will be disseminated through social media and the Tobacconomics website, through an interactive map in addition to the full report and data files. As with the first edition release, downloadable Powerpoint presentation slides will be available for each country.

Follow the release on Twitter:

@Tobacconomics; @FCTCofficial and @WHO