Tax hike has little effect on smokers

The government should raise both taxes and the retail price of cigarettes as a tobacco control measure, experts said after a survey found 80.5 percent of Chinese smokers support raising tobacco taxes.

The survey, conducted by Tsinghua University, Harvard University and the research institute for fiscal science under the Ministry of Finance, polled 3,000 families in 18 cities about their opinions on cigarettes taxes.

About 85 percent of respondents supported the government increasing tobacco taxes, and 80.5 percent of smokers were also in favor.