Putting health before profits

Raising the price of tobacco through significant tobacco tax increases is the single most effective intervention to reduce tobacco use and save lives.  For more than two decades, the International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC) has promoted tobacco tax policies that benefit the tobacco industry and do little to stop the global tobacco epidemic which kills 6 million people worldwide each year. While ITIC claims to be an independent, nonprofit research and education foundation, for years ITIC has been funded by major multinational corporations including all of the leading transnational tobacco companies and its Board of Directors included representatives from BAT, PMI, JTI and Imperial Tobacco. ITIC has targeted developing countries and assisted the tobacco industry in growing its market in low-and middle-income countries. 

After a high profile campaign to convince other companies that are members of ITIC to dissociate from ITIC due to its tobacco links, ITIC has stated they will no longer accept tobacco executives on their board and will end all tobacco company sponsorship. This is a promising step, however ITIC must fully follow through on their commitment to disengage from the tobacco industry, removing tobacco related materials from their website and stopping any technical assistance work on tobacco tax from now on.