Modelling the Revenue and Health Implications of Tobacco Tax Policy in Pakistan: Options for the Federal Budget 2021-22

Global evidence has established that tobacco use is a leading cause of deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.1 Pakistan is not an exception to this situation: it has a high burden of tobacco use with resulting high costs from tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. With a prevalence rate of 19.1 percent, about 30 million adults (age 15 +) currently use tobacco in the country. Previous research shows that tobacco use killed an estimated 163,360 people in 2017 in Pakistan.