'People should smoke and drink more', says Russian Finance Minister
Russian duties on cigarettes are among the lowest in Europe, nevertheless it did not stop the Russian Finance Minister to urge the public to smoke and drink more.
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said that by smoking a pack, "you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates". "People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state," he told the Interfax news agency.
Mariann Skar, Secretary General of Eurocare, says that "there is no need to encourage increased consumption of alcohol and tobacco in Russia, it is already extremely high. The average Russian consumes 18 litres of alcoholic beverages per year, mainly vodka and 65 per cent of men smoke. On the contrary, it would benefit both the national budgets, the national health services and the health of the people if finance ministers all over Europe would increase taxes on alcohol'