Multisectoral round table on tobacco taxation in the Russian Federation
WHO
On 23 September 2015, a round table on the tobacco taxation in Russia was organized in Moscow by the WHO Office in the Russian Federation. The meeting brought together 26 experts, representing fiscal government bodies, partners from different regions, such as Republic of Tatarstan, Republic of Mary El, Republic of Chuvashia, Kirov oblast, Arkhangelsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk and Vladimir and other stakeholders.
The event was chaired by Dr Haik Nikogosian, acting Head of the WHO office in the Russian Federation, Dr Nikolay Gerasimenko, First Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Issues, Dr Oleg Salagay, Head of the Public health and Communications Department of the Russian Ministry of Health.
Representation of the Ministry of Finance, Federal Tax Service, Ministry of Economy, World Bank, High School of Economics and health economists working on the tobacco-control issue in Russia for many years, ensured a truly multisectoral approach to the issue of tobacco taxation. Delegates focused on the necessity to promote Article 6 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in Russia, and discussed the ways of bringing the issue of tobacco tax increase to the attention of the Russian government. Involving regional counterparts was considered the best option and will be discussed in future in detail.
Dr Anne-Marie Perucic, one of the leading economic experts from WHO, participating in the round table, presented on the following topics:
- Tobacco taxation: justification from the healthcare and economic points of view
- Tobacco taxation – best world practice
Both presentations caused lively discussions among the participants.
