Health surcharge on cigarettes in Taiwan to double starting June 1  

The health surcharge on tobacco will be increased from NT$10 to NT$20 per pack of cigarettes starting June 1 to discourage smoking and raise funds for the country's health insurance program, Taiwan's top health official said Friday.

Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), minister of the Department of Health, said that the price of a pack of cigarettes is expected to increase by between NT$10 and NT$15 following the increase in the health surcharge.

Currently, a pack of cigarettes sells for NT$55 on average. . . .

The John Tung Foundation, an anti-smoking group, recently criticized the DOH for only spending NT$160 million from the surcharge funds to help the public kick the habit of smoking, while shelling out NT$600 million to subsidize tobacco manufacturers to print or affix the new marking.

Yeh replied, however, that the DOH has already received confirmation from four major tobacco manufacturers, including Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp., that they will do the markings themselves at no extra cost to the government.

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