Russians Told to Drink and Smoke More
Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by Raven Schneizer in World
Russia’s finance minister Alexei Kudrin has urged citizens to smoke and drink more, explaining that it would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services during the recession, according to reports.
“If you smoke a pack of cigarettes, that means you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates,” Kudrin said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
“People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state,” he said.
The consumption of alcohol and cigarettes in Russia is already extremely high, as 65 percent of men smoke while the average Russian drinks 18 litres of alcohol per year, mainly vodka, according to official statistics.
Russian duties on cigarettes are among the lowest in Europe, with most brands priced at around 40 rubles (one euro, 1.30 dollars) per pack.Unfiltered cigarettes sell for much less.
In June, the finance ministry announced plans to more than double excise duty on cigarettes over the next three years from 250 roubles per 1,000 filtered cigarettes to 590 roubles in 2013.
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