EXPERT OPINION ON THE CONSOLIDATION PACKAGE
The government's program statement, in the section dedicated to addictions, declares: When addressing the issue of addictions, we will apply a policy based on a scientifically proven and balanced concept of risk prevention and harm reduction, while ensuring sufficient funding for both preventive programs and services and the regulation of addictive substances, which will correspond to the degree of their harmfulness.
Prague, May 31, 2023
The government's program statement, in the section dedicated to addictions, declares: When addressing the issue of addictions, we will apply a policy based on a scientifically proven and balanced concept of risk prevention and harm reduction, while ensuring sufficient funding for both preventive programs and services and the regulation of addictive substances, which will correspond to the degree of their harmfulness.
However, the currently submitted draft law on the consolidation of public budgets deviates from this declaration to a large extent.
The TT RPZ expert team studied the draft measures in the consolidation package and recommends, among others, the following:
– the amount of excise tax on tobacco and nicotine products should be set with regard to their risk (i.e., classic cigarettes should be at a higher level due to their high risk to consumer health, while alternative products – electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, oral tobacco (including nicotine pouches) – should be subject to lower taxation due to their lower risk to consumer health
– the amount of taxation of individual types of gambling should correspond to their real level of risk
– the amount of excise tax on alcoholic beverages should correspond to their real level of risk, which is represented by the amount of ethanol content
You can find the detailed opinion that we sent to the Government of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate HERE (CZ).
