Less Tobacco Use in Turkey

The use of tobacco products is going down in Turkey. While 31.3 percent of people aged 15 and above were using tobacco products in 2008, this number has fallen to 27 percent in 2012, according to data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). According to TÜİK’s 2012 Global Adult Tobacco Study, tobacco usage among the male population has fallen the most drastically. Male usage has dropped 6.5 points among men and only 2.1 points, among women, according to the study. Still, more men smoke than women. In 2008, 47.8 percent of men smoked and 15.2 percent of women. The 2012 figures show that 41.4 percent of men were smokers, while 13.1 percent of women were.

Cigarette Tax Hike in Massachusetts

Massachusetts smokers would pay more than $3 per pack in state taxes under a 50-cent hike in the state cigarette tax Gov. Deval Patrick plans to include in his budget next week, one of a series of revenue proposals that Patrick hopes will generate $260 million in new revenue for his spending plan. The increase in the cigarette tax would mark the second time in his tenure that Patrick has proposed raising the cigarette tax. In 2008, the Legislature approved a $1 increase. The tax on a pack of best quality Bond cigarettes would rise to $3.01 and the administration will also propose applying the new, higher tax rate to all other tobacco products sold in the state, according to Patrick’s budget chief. Under the governor’s plan, Massachusetts would have the fifth highest tobacco tax in the country, but still lower than New York and Rhode Island, said Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez.