Raise tobacco tax, save lives: Report

Raising the tax on cigarettes by 1 yuan per pack could help save thousands of lives and generate almost 65 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) in revenue for the government, a study released on Monday in Beijing said.

Hu Teh-wei, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley in the United States who led the research team, said: "The low cost of tobacco products in China contributes to very high levels of cigarette smoking, especially among males.

"The most effective way to reduce tobacco use is to raise retail prices through tax increases."