煙草在線據《愛爾蘭獨立報》報道編譯　　愛爾蘭政府必須指派一個限制煙草業利潤、并為國庫每年帶來大約1.5億歐元收入的管理機構。

　　11月8日，愛爾蘭心臟基金會和愛爾蘭癌癥協會在概述各自向愛爾蘭議會健康與兒童聯合委員會提交的預算前意見書時，發出了這個呼吁。

　　這個管理機構要限制煙草公司可以賺取的利潤金額，同時，多賺的利潤部分要交給國家。

　　愛爾蘭心臟基金會的宣傳領導人克里斯·麥凱說，這個制度“對其他產業已經有效地發揮了作用。”

　　他補充說：“這將意味著煙草制造商投入到消除營銷障礙的技巧、公共關系機構和其他旨在破壞政府減少吸煙率的工作行動方面的資金會減少。”

　　他說，即使愛爾蘭的卷煙價格要低于英國的卷煙價格，但煙草業在愛爾蘭所賺的利潤要高于在歐洲其他國家所賺的利潤。

　　他估計，1.5億歐元就夠支付額外的4167名護士、2853名新小學教師、5480名新招募的愛爾蘭警察、7188名新招聘的特殊需要助理、165000天額外的醫院床位，或100臺新核磁共振掃描儀的工資或費用。

　　在愛爾蘭，政府將每包卷煙價格的大約79%作為稅收提走，價格的其余部分則作為煙草業的收入。

　　“在英國，政府將每包卷煙價格的大約90%抽走，只給煙草業留下小得多的利潤額。按貨幣來計算，煙草業每包卷煙在愛爾蘭所能賺到的錢要比在英國能賺到的錢大約多1歐元。”

　　愛爾蘭癌癥協會的執行理事約翰·麥克柯麥克說，在過去10年里，大卷煙品牌在英國要比在愛爾蘭貴——按目前的匯率，在英國每包9.3歐元，而在愛爾蘭，每包為9.2歐元。

　　“現在，英國的走私率已經從21%下降到了9%——比愛爾蘭走私率的一半還少。”

　　他說：“為切斷使年輕吸煙者數量增加的便宜卷煙的供應，高走私率的問題必須要解決。海關最近流失了數百名員工，愛爾蘭警方的壓力也同樣很大，因此，我們必須給愛爾蘭海關和警方提供對付走私的人力物力，同時，法院里也要有嚴明的法官。”

Ireland: Campaigners Call for New Tobacco Industry Regulator

　　THE Government needs to appoint a regulator to limit the profits of the tobacco industry and generate around €150m a year for the Exchequer.

　　The call was made today by the Irish Heart Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society when they outlined their pre-Budget submissions to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children.

　　The regulator would limit the amount of profit tobacco companies can make and any additional surplus made would have to go to the State.

　　Chris Macey, the Irish Heart Foundation's head of advocacy, said this system has "worked effectively for other industries".

　　He added: "It would mean the tobacco manufacturers had less money to invest in smooth marketing techniques, public relations agencies and other initiatives aimed at undermining the Government's efforts to reduce the smoking rate."

　　He said the tobacco industry is earning higher profits in Ireland than in other European countries, even though the price of packet of cigarettes is cheaper here than in the UK.

　　He estimated that €150m would cover the wages of 4,167 extra nurses, 4,853 new primary school teachers, 5,480 new Garda recruits, 7,188 new special needs assistants; 165,000 extra hospital bed days, or 100 new MRI scanners.

　　In Ireland, the Government has been taking about 79pc of the price of a packet of cigarettes in tax and the rest of the price goes to the tobacco industry.

　　"In the UK, the Government has taken about 90pc of the price of a packet of cigarettes, leaving the tobacco industry with a much smaller profit margin. In monetary terms, the tobacco industry has been earning roughly €1 more per packet of cigarettes in Ireland than it does in the UK."

　　John McCormack, chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society said over the last 10 years, major brand cigarettes are now more expensive than in Ireland - more than €9.30 at current exchange rates, compared to €9.20 here.

　　"In this time the UK smuggling rate has fallen from 21pc to 9pc - less than half the rate here."

　　He said:"High smuggling rates must be tackled to cut off the supply of cheap tobacco that is increasing numbers of young smokers. We must give Customs, which has lost hundreds of staff in recent years, and the similarly hard-pressed Garda, the manpower and equipment, along with the tough justice in the courts, required to deal with smuggling." Enditem