Smoking related illnesses as well as loss of productivity due to smoke breaks costs Scottish economy a hefty £1.1. Billion, a report from Ash Scotland has revealed.
NHS Scotland spends approximately £271 Million each year on treating smoking related diseases while smoke breaks, absenteeism and loss of output cost together more than £692 million.
In addition, the charity says a further £60 Million is lost each year in outputs due to deaths caused by second hand smoke.
The report also points out that the Scottish taxpayers spend almost £34 Million to clean up tobacco related litter from the streets and fire damage caused by smoking is estimated at £12 Million per annum.
While the costs are over a billion pounds, the Scottish exchequer brings in only £940 million in tobacco taxes annually.
"Not only does smoking devastate our health, with over 13,300 adult deaths every year and thousands of others affected by smoking-related illness, it also has a negative impact on our economy," Sheila Duffy, the Chief Executive of Ash Scotland argued.
Taking into account NHS costs, productivity losses, premature death, costs of smoking-related fires in commercial properties, and clearing smoking-related litter, even on the conservative figures used, there is real cost of tobacco use to Scotland's economy of £1.1bn. That is a huge cost for us to bear," she added.
The charity urges the Scottish Government to increase duty on tobacco and use the increased funding to invest in smoking prevention services.
"We need to be tougher on the tobacco industry, increasing the duty on tobacco, holding tobacco companies to account and requiring greater transparency, and we must continue to fund prevention and cessation services to help smokers to quit and stop young people from starting," Ms. Duffy argued.
Source from: E-gov Monitor
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