Pacitalia urges "streamlined", pan-Foringanan tobacco rules

[Pacitalia]

PBC News > Foringana
Saturday 22nd August 2009

Timiocato is urging the governments of Fidelia, Nova Prosperitas and
Pacifica to adopt the same stringent standards on tobacco taxation, manufacture
and sale to lower cancer and disease rates, lower overall usage of tobacco and
try and clamp down on "border jumpers" who attempt to take advantage of cheaper
tobacco products while vacationing or travelling outside Pacitalia.

Timiocato urges Fidelia, NP, Pacifica to adopt same tobacco rules
Uniform standards will "lower cancer rates" and tobacco use, shut down "border jumpers"

---

Albertina Semperesta
Timiocato

Pacitalia's government is pressing its three Foringanan counterparts to adopt the same stringent standards on tobacco taxation, manufacture and sale in an attempt to both streamline regulations and lower disease rates and tobacco use across the continent. The move is also seen as a way for Timiocato to clamp down on "border jumpers" who regularly cross into Fidelia, Nova Prosperitas or Pacifica for cheaper tobacco products.

Adopting Pacitalian standards would result in a sea change across the continent, including packaging design and health warnings, sale and taxation, and import and export duties for both businesses and individuals, according to Pacitalia's agustinate of public health and wellness, Persefona Domasche. The changes, she says, will also trickle down and directly impact cancer and lung disease rates, "improving general health of Foringanans as it already has started to for Pacitalians".

"We want to cut down tobacco use," Ms Domasche said, "we aim to cut down cancer rates, lung disease rates, heart disease rates. We want to cut down dependency. Streamlining our laws across Foringana, making them uniform, will help us all in the long run."

She points to a 15-percent reduction in tobacco purchase and use in Pacitalia in just the last 12 months as a "key point" in judging the success and effectiveness of new legislation introduced last year. While this has reduced tax revenue by nearly Đ2.8–billion, it has also lowered immediate public health-care expenditures by Đ391–million, with a long-term cost savings projection of Đ17–billion over the next 10 years.

Also encouraging for Timiocato is that smoking among youths, aged 16-22 in Directorate of Public Health and Wellness analysis, is down by almost a third. Ms Domasche credits the sharp decreases to the government's graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, saying the warnings are "scaring people into using common sense".

Pacitalia's Tobacco and Harmful Substances Control Act 2008 restricts tobacco manufacturers to:

• producing cigarettes for sale in maximum quantities of 25 per package (meaning "cartons" of up to 200 cigarettes are now illegal);
• exclude from the manufacturing process additives of any kind in tobacco products that would flavour or distort the product's actual ingredients and profile, which the government and health experts both argue makes tobacco products more appealing;
• tip all cigarettes with a standard cellulose acetate filter of no shorter than 25mm to lower tar intake by at least 80 percent;
• include a second filter treated with ionised sulphur oxide and a non-carcinogenic hydrocarbon called monoterpene. The second filter neutralises formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and benzopyrene(A), three toxic byproducts of cigarette smoke

Timiocato also mandates strict standards on packaging design:

• the product's logo and any other design may only appear on the top of the cigarette package and/or total no more than 10 percent of the total package surface;
• the front of each package is reserved for a graphic health warning which details one of 16 facts, displayed in both Pacitalian and English, about the dangers associated with tobacco use;
• a list of toxic ingredients contained in the product appear in clear and concise language on at least one lengthwise side of the package;
• the alternate lengthwise side of the packaging provides contact information for national or regionally specific quit-smoking and other health care and smoking assistance resources for Pacitalians; and,
• packaging must always be composed entirely of recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials — usually foil and paper — and cannot contain any plastic wrapping or covering, coated paper or cardstrap, or any new paper or metal material of any kind

The Act builds on earlier legislation that banned advertising on television, radio or in print media and on billboards, and also prohibited cigarette smoking in all public places and facilities. The new Act also restricts smoking to a distance of at least 10 m from doors, windows that can be opened and air intake points. Smoking on the patio at a café or restaurant, in the presence of children under 16, or in a motor vehicle, is now also prohibited by law.

Businesses that sell tobacco must stock products behind opaque or metal cabinetry or in dispensers that release only the requested product to those legally able to purchase it. The law keeps tobacco products out of view at all times. Removing labels from "everyday eyesight", according to Ms Domasche, "will reduce awareness of different brands and, we hope, take out the impulse to smoke as potential new smokers will have no idea what to buy or what they are buying."

Timiocato wants all three of its continental counterparts to adopt the same standards as soon as possible and is lobbying officials in the Fidelian, Pacifican and Prosperitan capitals to make the changes into reality.

Pacitalia's landmark act, which became law last year, also empowers government, private not-for-profit agencies and both public- and private-scheme health providers to pursue harm reduction strategies, preventative work and rehabilitation of tobacco users.

Putting an end to "border jumping"
The Tobacco Act also slaps a 332-percent duty on all tobacco products brought through Pacitalian border checkpoints. The duty is calculated based on the douro's end-of-day exchange rate with the USD on the first day of the fiscal year, multiplied by 100. The douro closed at $3.3197 on 1st February 2009; thus, the duty for fiscal year 2009-10 is 332 percent.

The massive duty, Ms Domasche says, makes it "cost-prohibitive" to bring cheaper tobacco back across the border into Pacitalia. A pack of 20 "king-size" cigarettes in Pacitalia costs, on average, Đ4.06; thus, the imported pack could cost nearly Đ13.50 — over $45 NSD — after duties are applied.

Sebastiano Sigurimasso, Pacitalia's agustinate of finance and revenue — and the cabinet member responsible for the Republican Customs Authority — says the duty has been effective in stopping "border jumping", a practice where Pacitalians cross the border into the other three Foringanan nations intending to return with "suitcases and cars full" of cheaper tobacco products.

In contrast to tobacco, alcohol is cheapest, on average, in Pacitalia. Mr Sigurimasso confirms there has been no issue with "border jumping" with regards to alcohol products but notes that Prosperitans, Fidelians and Pacificans that cross the border into Pacitalia to buy cheap booze do not face similarly high duties on their purchases.

"We have noticed a drop in external border jumping as people realise it is not economically viable at the individual level to engage in this practice," Mr Sigurimasso says. "The duty has been extremely successful in curbing border jumping. The duty sends the message that no matter how or where you choose to engage in tobacco smoking you will be subject to some form of taxation."

"It is up to the end user to decide how much taxation they endure," he added.

That is because the simple purchase of tobacco here in Pacitalia is also not cheap — all tobacco is subject to a non-value added tax of 27 percent, which drives up the sticker price by an average Đ1.10. Timiocato is pressing Manhattan, Securitas and Georgetown to adopt the same non-VAT taxation on cigarettes and tobacco by the end of next year.

Pacitalia has tended to use non-VAT methods of taxation on tobacco because, as Ms Domasche says, "the psychological element tends to repel a significant amount of tobacco purchase because people are unsure exactly how much a pack is going to cost."

A spokesman for Artemis Republican, Pacitalia's largest tobacco company, refused to comment on "government matters". The company operates in all four countries and has extensively lobbied against further regulation on its products.

Copyright © 2009 Pacitalian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.pbc.pc/news/foringana/80177079/

[Allanea]

The billboard was massive, taking up the entire wall of the ten-story office building. Upon it was depicted a muscular man, wearing camouflaged pants, heavy military boots, and no shirt – the better to outline his muscular torso. On the right side of his manly chest were tattooed the words ONLY ONE WAY TO BE SURE. On the other was a medal in the shape of a miniature, silver-plated skull, pinned directly to the man's sculpted flesh. His hair was cropped close in a military fashion, a massive belt-fed machinegun hung off his shoulders, and his face was stern and violent in its expression, a tattoo in the shape of a lightning bolt upon his left cheek finishing off the striking image. Of course, the man was smoking a cigarette.

With this man as a background, the billboard lacked only an advertisement slogan, and this was present: WELCOME TO CHESTER COUNTRY.

The office building, of course, was the headquarters of Light Up, Limited, the manufacturer of the “Chester” line of cigarettes – available filtered, unfiltered, or cannabis-enriched – and the “Marianne” line of light cigarettes, available in strawberry, lemon, banana and grape flavors. There was even a “Chester” flavor that smelled like smokeless gunpowder when smoked.

Where the “Chester” mascot was a single man, a Sergeant Chester McClean [retired], “Marianne” was associated with a variety of ladies, each associated with a different line of cigarettes. The ladies appeared, in limited clothing – or in no clothing at all – upon the packages of “Marianne”, and a 'home video' starring Chester and the “Mariannes” had once been 'leaked' onto the Internet – causing the combined sales of Light Up, LTD to rise 5% overnight.

But now the company had an important issue to discuss.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” - spoke CEO Ehud Mistal, perched in his high seat and twirling his long moustage. Every man in Allanea had a hobby – and Mistal's hobby was dressing up as the cliched capitalist, complete with an enormous mustache and a top hat. The only departure from the stereotype he allowed himself was smoking cigarettes rather than cigars. Even now, speaking to his men, he was smoking a “Chester” - “Ladies and gentlemen, the Pacitalians are restricting their cigarette market even further.”

Truth be told, Mistal's briefing superfluous – his massive mahogany desk could fit eleven people including himself, but only two of his employees attended the meeting – the head of PR, Mkasahalenta, and Cecilia Banter, the head of Marketing.

“I do not understand, Mr. Mistal,” - said Cecilia. The company having no dress code for senior employees, Cecilia wore a set of black clothing to match her hair – and to expose the majority of her unnaturally-white skin. On her neck she wore a black, spiked collar, and on her naked back one could see several red welts where suspension hooks had been recently removed from her body. - “We stopped working in Pacitalia since they prohibited our advertisements. It's difficult to make money in a foreign company if you cannot even advertise, Sir. So these new restrictions can not really affect us – they apply to a market where we won't work.”

“Oh, but I do not mean they affect us.” - smiled the CEO, twirling his mustache. - “But think of what they'll do to our Pacitalian colleagues! After all – correct me if I am wrong, Mkai – isn't it the goal of their government to eliminate all cigarette consumption in their country?”

“Yes, Sir. Well, not immediately, but it their goal to reduce it. Of course, eventually most of the companies will be driven out of business, and the smoking community reduced to a tiny sliver – at which point, they will be able to easily ban tobacco,” - said the PR manager, his English immaculate. Unlike his colleagues, Mkai was dressed solemnly – a grey T-shirt and a set of blue jeans, and a small silver pendant in the shape of a religious symbol.

“Now, I realize that what the Pacitalians are doing is awful,” - the CEO continued - “But as we all know, we can't really prevent what is going on, or affect politics in Pacitalia in any way. Of course on the other hand, if any Pacitalian tobacco industry workers find themselves out of work, we can always help them get refugee status in Allanea... and if some Pacitalians find they still want a pack of Chesters, well...” - he coughed theatrically - “Let's say we all know some fellows with fast boats and an appetite for adventure.”

Everybody laughed for a bit.

“Of course, right now it is too early to act,” - smiled Cecilia.

“Of course, my friends. We wait, and we watch,” - Mistal chuckled, twirling his mustache.

[Jeuna]

Under the monolithic Art Deco Ziyou Building lay the concrete pavement, bustling with a morass of sharply-dressed people. Cycles mingled there and upon the street, while motor scooters—and the occasional motorcycle—and cars swept by. Taxi cars in their many-coloured livery were frequent, some dark with customers, some lit and freed up. A police car in blue and white manoeuvred past. The temperature for Xiuhu had averaged about 18 degrees Celsius this past week, and 20 degrees the previous week, with a small dip on Friday and continuing into Saturday. The last rainfall had been about 5 millimetres on the 11th along with some drizzle today, but there was supposed to be a 30 per cent chance of real rain again on Monday, so that was looked forward to. It was fairly clear what most congregations would be praying for tomorrow. Today was a calm day so far, but the 17th and 18th had been quite windy.

Above but not separate of all this, behind the sandstone brick façade of the 118-floor skyscraper, lay the offices of the Ziyou Tobacco Co., the largest tobacco conglomerate in Jeuna. On the top floors, appropriate for the company that had financed the building's construction, lay the corporate headquarters of Ziyou Co. Within this network of cubicles, hallways and conference rooms, was the expansive office of Meng Zhinu, CEO of Ziyou Co., at the very top, on the 118th floor. It took up the entire floor space, providing a panoramic view of Xiuhu, the Lancang River Delta, and the rolling hills in the surrounding country; from distant Qiao nestled against the Xi River and Wuchang at the junction of the Xi and Dong Rivers to the north-west; to Fengtian to the north-east; and at last to Xinbu to the south-west. The Zhili Sea and the Twin Peninsulas lay spread out to the south-east, its jagged bays to the north. JNB Xiuhu with its 2. CSG Shuang Ao and the Haita ballistic submarines anchored there took up a massive portion of the harbour. It was truly a powerful and impressive sight.

The office itself was furnished ostentatiously in Streamliner and Machine Age fashion, with two-inch thick plush ebony carpet and dark mahogany panelling, from the Jeunese Rice Flower tree. Recessed into walls and illuminated with indirect soft light were ferns and orchids of orange and periwinkle, and cutouts in the ceiling held soft glowing bulbs. The light of the midday sun poured through the thick unbroken glass: one unit, blown and specially-made for this chamber alone. In the centre was a wall-less elevator platform, with its surface lying flush with the carpet so as to be invisible. At one end of the office was a large aquarium, filled with four grey nurse sharks, and a giant palette-shaped glass coffee table upon which a man—or woman—could lie, and lush, darkling armless chairs and sofa; at the other, a massive mahogany desk upon which sat an immaculately-polished and intricately-moulded lamp.

Three people stood within. Meng, with his arms behind his back, the sleeves of his white collared button-down shirt rolled up—all the better to show his muscular arms—faced the panorama. Two men stood behind him. To the left, with a pair of impenetrable sunglasses and messy shoulder-length hair, and standing at a jaunty angle with one hand in his pocket, was the head of the Marketing Department, Xu Wenhui; to the right, the head of Sales, Li Xiaguang, dressed conservatively and precisely in a sport coat and tie.

Li spoke first. "The Pacitalians have begun another round of restrictions on their tobacco market." He held a dossier of figures under his arm: graphs and charts; predictions and histories. Meng did not ask for them.

"I see." He was silent for a moment, tracking an airliner taking off from Xiuhu International to the south. "Is it profitable to remain?"

Li shook his head. "It is doubtful. The Pacitalian market is barely breaking even as it is. With this, the cost of sales would overwhelm the money earned, even if we increased prices to the maximum that the market would bear. Added to that, the cost has already gone up significantly." He lifted his free hand, palm up. "Hell, a three hundred per cent markup just to get in."

Meng drummed his fingers against his arm, and Xu chimed in. "It's almost impossible to sell there. The Pacitalians have banned any form of publicity, except in bars. They're squeezing us out anyway—I can't run a marketing campaign if there's no way to do it. Word of mouth will only go so far."

Meng nodded. "I realise." He turned to Li, and looked at him over his shoulder. "Is there a place that we can recoup losses if we move out of the Pacitalian sector?"

Li shook his head again. "There are no big places where we can enter into the market. They're either saturated by us, or by the competition. We could try a breakout." He gestured with his eyes to Xu. "Or, we could spread out our recovery over several smaller markets. Now," he went on, bringing out the dossier and riffling through it for projected sales figures for the new markets. "There are some developing markets in Maasailand and Minuccia—"

Meng turned back to the view, and waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not convinced it's hopeless," he said, cutting Li off. "Not yet." He smiled, shark-like, and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Ring up our friends in the Heishou. I'm sure they'd be willing to help us out, for a few yins." He nodded emphatically, and turned around. "But, see what you can do in Karain and wherever else you think is good. I want all the bases covered, just in case we have to pull out fast."

[Nova Prosperitas]

NPBS News | National | Health
Monday, 24 August 2009

Health Minister: We'll smoke if we want to

Health Minister Krystian Ivmarus.

SECURITAS - The Prosperitan government is rejecting calls from Timiocato for it to regulate the manufacture and sale of tobacco. Health Minister Krystian Ivmarus has moved to reassure Prosperitans that the government will not restrict their use of the product. He said the matter was one of 'national sovereignty'.

Mr Ivmarus' comments were prompted by reports that Pacitalia's agustinate of public health and wellness, Persefona Domasch, was seeking to clamp down on so-called "border jumpers" who regularly cross into Fidelia, Nova Prosperitas or Pacifica for cheaper tobacco products. A pan-Foringanan system of regulation would also reduce cancer and lung disease rates on the continent.

"We want to cut down tobacco use," Ms Domasche said, "we aim to cut down cancer rates, lung disease rates, heart disease rates. We want to cut down dependency. Streamlining our laws across Foringana, making them uniform, will help us all in the long run."

She pointed to the success of Pacitalia's hardline approach which includes measures such as taxation, restrictions on advertising and public health warnings about the dangers of smoking. There had been a 15 percent reduction in tobacco purchase in Pacitalia in the previous 12 months alone.

However, Mr Ivmarus said Saturday: "For me, this is... about two things: firstly, the liberty of the individual to make decisions about his own life and for him to bear the consequences of his self-regarding actions. Secondly, it is about the national sovereignty of the Prosperitan state."

Mr Ivmarus said it was not up to other states to impose on Nova Prosperitas laws regulating the domestic sale and use of tobacco. He claimed that Nova Prosperitas should not be held responsible for "border jumpers" and he rejected Ms Domasch's suggestion that a universal system of tobacco regulation would necessarily reduce cancer and lung disease rates.

"The scientific evidence is inconclusive on this matter," he said. "There are detractors who would argue that tobacco is not as detrimental to one's health as some would make it out to be. There is scientific literature to suggest, for example, that smoking in fact lessens the risk of Parkinson's Disease and certain types of cancer."

The minister also quoted a 1975 Prosperitan study that found children of smokers were less likely to suffer from asthma and eczema. Mr Ivmarus said it was not up to politicians to assess whether smoking was good or bad when the science was 'unclear'.

"Ms Domasch is not a scientific researcher. She is not, to my mind, a credible expert on this matter. It is clear to me that her comments are more ideologically motivated than anything else. This is about creeping state authoritarianism in Pacitalia. "

Mr Ivmarus reassured Prosperitans that the government would not legislate at the 'whim' of public officials in Timiocato. Yet many remain uneasy following a recent study from the Ministry of Health highlighting the health risks associated with alcohol. There have been fresh calls for a new regulatory regime to be introduced.

A recent poll by NPBS found 65 percent of Prosperitans were opposed to regulating the sale and purchase of alcohol. The same survey found that almost 80 percent of respondents believed the government would legislate anyway.

Although the study did not cover smoking, commentators believe it would be inconsistent for the government to confront the problem of alcohol without also confronting that of tobacco. Public health expert Dr Nigel Lawson, Professor of Evidence-based Health Care and the Head of the Division of Health Systems, Policies and Practices at the National University of Nova Prosperitas, has supported calls for the regulation of both. Over the weekend Dr Lawson criticised the government for relying on outdated scientific research and "tobacco industry propaganda".

"Nova Prosperitas is quite remarkable in that it is one of the few developed countries in the world where smoking is not only socially acceptable but is unregulated. The link between tobacco use and lung cancer was first recognised in the 1950s, and since then an enormous body of high-quality international research has been compiled to support the belief that smoking is bad for one's health. The science is clear."

Dr Lawson also pointed to the dangers of inhaling so-called 'second-hand smoke', a mixture of smoke released from the smouldering end of a cigarette and smoke exhaled by the smoker. This form of involuntary smoking causes the same health problems as direct smoking. Dr Lawson said the young were particularly susceptible because they had less control over their exposure to it.

However, a spokesman for Royal Prosperitan Tobacco, the country’s largest tobacco company and ninth in Foringana, dismissed Dr Lawson’s comments as 'naïve' and 'socialist'.

"Tobacco is a good like any other. It is no different from milk, cheese or salt - all of which come with associated health risks of their own. People have a right to smoke if they want to," he said.

"If he wants socialism, he should move to Pacitalia."

Copyright © 2009 Nova Prosperitas Broadcasting Service

[Nova Prosperitas]

NPBS News | National | Health
Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Government introduces alcohol, tobacco regulation bill

Health minister Jessica Bacchus arrives at Parliament today. Photo credit: PPA

Six months after a government report into the effects of alcohol consumption on Prosperitan society, the government has introduced legislation to restrict the sale and supply of alcohol and regulate the tobacco industry.

Minister of Health Jessica Bacchus announced the new regulatory framework as part of the controversial Alcohol and Tobacco Regulation and Taxation Bill, which was made available to the public for the first time Wednesday. The bill is to be read in the House of Representatives next week. If passed into law, it would take effect from January 2011.

The minister rejected criticism that the bill is statist. She said it was necessary to legislate to ensure the health and wellbeing of future generations. Ms Bacchus said the government sought to change attitudes toward smoking and alcohol consumption while continuing to respect personal choice and individual freedom. She said there was “no desire” to ban the use of these substances; however, people needed be aware of the potential health risks associated with alcohol and tobacco use.

“This is about education. It is not about taking away choice.”

From January next year, all cigarette packages were to contain explicit health warnings, and a list of all toxic ingredients. Other restrictions to be implemented include limiting the quantity of cigarettes per carton to 25 and banning the use of additives and artificial flavours used to make tobacco products more appealing. Just as in Pacitalia, manufactures of cigarettes will also be required to tip filters to limit tar intake and to neutralise the toxic by-products of cigarette smoke. Retailers would be required to store tobacco products out of view, such as behind opaque or metal cabinetry or in dispensers.

The bill would also introduce, for the first time in Nova Prosperities, age restrictions on the consumption and purchase of alcohol and tobacco. As of 2011, the sale of liquor and/or cigarettes to those under the age of 16 would be prohibited. Furthermore, the supply of liquor and/or cigarettes to those under the age of 13 would also be a criminal offence under the proposed law. This has been met with some criticism. Nationalist Coalition health and family affairs spokesman Mercator Kennedy said the proposed changes were “tarradiddle” and an affront to tradition.

“It is not up to the state to decide these matters. This is the responsibility of sensible, law-abiding citizens,” Mr Kennedy said.

“That is how it has been for generations. That is how it should remain.”

The most controversial aspect of the bill, however, is a 27 percent excise duty to be levied on tobacco. Revenue generated from the new excise duty would go towards funding a public education campaign about alcoholism and smoking. The radical move had earlier been rejected by the previous health minister, Krystian Ivmarus. Mr Ivmarus categorically ruled out following Pacitalia’s lead in clamping down on tobacco use. But a Cabinet reshuffle in January saw Mr Ivmarus lose the health portfolio to Ms Bacchus, a more progressive voice in the party, thus paving the way for a widely anticipated shift in government policy.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Coalition leader Adriano Benita accused Premier Servius Bach of being a “lapdog” to Pacitalian interests. Mr Benita said the premier had betrayed the people's trust and discarded Prosperitan sovereignty in favour of a closer relationship with the Foringanan Giant.

“Today, the major decisions affecting Prosperitans are made not in Securitas but in Timiocato!”

Although critics have accused the minority Libertas government of an about face, the majority of public health experts agree that change is long overdue. Prominent anti-tobacco campaigner and research scientist Dr Nigel Lawson, of the National University, said the government had for too long relied on “outdated scientific research”.

“I think today’s announcement is quite encouraging. The government should be commended for its leadership on this issue,” Dr Lawson said Wednesday.

Although Libertas does not command an outright majority in the current House of Representives, it does enjoy a confidence and supply agreement with the Christian Democrats, thus giving it the voting power necessary to pass crucial legislation. Christian Democrat leader Conan George has already pledged his party''s support for the bill. Nevertheless, the government is expected to come under insurmountable pressure in the coming weeks. Public opinion polls conducted last year consistently showed 60-75 percent of respondents opposed restrictions on the alcohol and tobacco use.

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