A group of health organizations is asking the Minister of Finance, Éric Girard, to implement tax measures to slow the proliferation of chronic diseases associated with the consumption of products harmful to health.
Said harmful products include cigarettes, sugary drinks and vaping products.
76% of the Quebec population would also agree to an increase in taxes on products harmful to health, according to a Léger poll carried out in December 2020.
Reduce the influx
The pandemic has highlighted the fragility of Quebec’s health system through a large influx of patients into hospitals.
The group therefore believes that strategies must be put in place to reduce the number of future hospitalizations.
Nearly 50% of the provincial budget is intended to finance the operation of the healthcare system.
“These measures have been proven elsewhere on the planet and have been recommended many times by public health authorities,” says Kevin Bilodeau, Director of Government Relations at Heart & Stroke.
Significant costs
Guy Desrosiers, CEO of the Capsana organization, whose mission is to help individuals become actors in their own health, explains that the health of the population is a precious economic resource.
A person with several diseases generates costs of $4,822 per year, not counting regular visits to hospital facilities, and reduces their contribution to society.
On the other hand, a healthy person costs regarding $544 annually.
This is why Mr. Desrosiers insists that investing in chronic disease prevention is essential.
Impacts of smoking
Tobacco kills 13,000 Quebecers each year, nearly 20% of all deaths in the province. In addition, 27% of nursing consultations are for people who use tobacco.
Although the tobacco tax brings in $900 million, smokers cost Quebecers $2.5 billion a year.
“Quebec is last in terms of tobacco taxation compared to the Canadian provinces, declares Annie Papageorgiou, director general of the Quebec Council on tobacco and health. We are $15 less than Ontario in terms of taxation and $30 less than the Canadian average.”
If the Minister of Finance chooses to tax tobacco at the same price as Ontario, Quebec might generate, in 5 years, nearly $2 billion in additional revenue.
In addition to tobacco, the explosion of vaping among young people remains a concern for many organizations.
The application of a specific tax on electronic cigarettes combined with an increase in the tobacco tax would prevent the creation of a new generation of smokers.
Tax on sugary drinks
According to the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec, a quarter of adults report an increase in the consumption of junk food since the start of the pandemic.
Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and dental problems are consequences.
The introduction of a 20¢ per liter tax on sugary drinks would generate more than $50 million a year.
It might be reinvested in healthy food access programs, for example.
“Sweetened beverages are ubiquitous non-essential products that benefit from intensive marketing that targets young people in particular,” underlines Corinne Voyer, director of the Quebec Coalition on Weight Issues. (J.B.)
