I have seen newspaper reports of comments made by Minister Louis Deguara and noted the way he chose to express himself in parliament on the matter of the regulations related to smoking.
During my conversation with the journalist who used my comments in her report in The Times I did not state that economic considerations come before health. I may have expressed myself unclearly, I may have been misunderstood, or I may have been quoted out of context. That is not at this stage so important.
What was important was the underlying points I was making, that is to say that all aspects of any matter have to be taken together. This means that in the real world both health factors and economic factors have to be taken into consideration.
Instead of wasting energy arguing who said what, I respectfully suggest that the Minister seeks to abide by the undertaking given to the GRTU on the way smoking is to be regulated.
What the Minister is now proposing is a total smoking ban, in spite of previous statements to the contrary and irrespective of the impacts on small businesses.
While health should always come before economics, Malta must give due importance to the impacts a total smoking ban could have on revenue in the tourism and entertainment sectors.
A recent report in The Times of London has noted how: “Health provider Bupa dropped plans to hold a conference in Dublin this year due to Ireland’s nationwide smoking ban.
“Bupa, which has spent millions on anti-smoking promotions, told the hotel the ban was a key factor in not coming to Ireland because 41 percent of its staff smoke.”
The Licensed Vinters Association of Ireland has also claimed that pub revenues have decreased by up to 15 percent since the introduction of the smoking ban.
Donald O’Keefe, Chief Executive of the LVA was reported as saying: “To suggest that visiting patterns to pubs have not altered significantly since the introduction of the ban is incorrect. Figures from the Dublin trade clearly show that on average, pub revenues have been hit by between 12 and 15 percent. While the impact is not totally uniform across Dublin pubs, make no mistake about it, the smoking ban is having serious financial impacts.”
The smoking ban became law in Ireland on March 29. The trade is now hoping Minister Micheal Martin, Irish minister for health and children, will consider a waiver on the ban in struggling pubs.
Even New York has felt the impact of the smoking ban in terms of revenue in places of entertainment. While it is being claimed that New York is enjoying higher tax revenues, implying that the smoking ban had not affected trade, the point that the increased revenue came from other leisure sectors and not bars was not pointed out.
In conclusion, while health is no doubt to be given primary importance, the authorities are called upon to look at the entire picture - which certainly should not exclude the economic impacts.
|
