Smoking has been caused Rs.15 million loss to the Sri Lankan Economy daily according to the Executive Director of Alcohol and Tobacco Information Center "ADDIC" Mr.Pubudu Sumanasekera.
Speeking at the Media Seminar held today in Colombo to Mark ‘World No Tobacco Day" falls tomorrow(31) Mr.Sumanasekera has said that one of the major causes for poverty in Sri Lanka is Cigerette Smoking.He stressed that the Samurdhi (a monthly allowance given to the selected low income groups by the Government) Beneficery has spend more then twice the amount they received as samurdhi allowance for Cigerette Smoking and that figure stands in 2002 as Rs.1825 Million when Government allocated Rs.834 Million for the allowance.
Meanwhile the Secretary of the Committee on Tobacco and Alcohol attached to Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) Dr.Sajeeva Ranaweera has suggested that if the Government can Increase Tax imposed on Cigerretes by 10 percent it will help to reduce usage of Cigerrettes by 3 percent among the youth and people in poverty as well as increasing tax income of the government.
The theme of this years World Non Tobacco Day is "WHO(World Health Organization) Framework Convention On Tobacco Control".
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