Harmful Profits: The Cancer Society’s Urgent Call for an End to Tax Exemptions on Smoking Products in Israel

The Cancer Society has filed a petition to the High Court seeking conditional orders for the cancellation of tax exemptions on smoking products entering Israel. The society argues that the subsidy for smoking products creates a severe distortion with no justification.

The petition states that the Israeli government has authorized the Minister of Finance to cancel duty-free entry for smoking products, which benefits from tax exemption and leads to lower prices than in other parts of Israel. The Cancer Society claims that smoking poses a significant threat to public health, causing illness, disability, and premature death.

The association argues that the subsidy for duty-free smoking products endangers lives and creates a market distortion. They criticize the Minister of Finance for withdrawing a draft order to abolish the tax exemption and instead installing an order to maintain it until 2028. The Cancer Society believes that this decision was made outside of the Minister of Finance’s authority and violates the government’s decision to end the subsidy.

The association believes that public interest has been sacrificed for improper considerations, resulting in billions of shekels spent by the health system due to smoking harms. They claim that maintaining tax exemptions on duty-free smoking products is unreasonable, disproportionate, and violates constitutional rights to life and health. The Cancer Society is seeking an immediate cancellation of tax exemptions on smoking products to protect public health and prevent further economic losses associated with smoking.

In conclusion, this petition highlights how harmful it can be when governments prioritize profits over public health concerns. The Cancer Society’s call for an immediate cancellation of tax exemptions on duty-free smoking products is crucial in protecting public health and preventing further economic losses associated with tobacco use.