BACKGROUND: Indonesia suffers a huge burden from cigarette consumption. Measures to control cigarette consumption have been taken including the display of a 40% pictorial health warning (PHW) on cigarette packs and excise tax which is displayed as an excise stamp on the pack. Both the PHW and excise stamps convey messages that the products are harmful and must be controlled. This report aims to portray the implementation of both policies on cigarette packs.
METHODS: This study was part of a price monitoring survey conducted in selected 81 districts/cities of Indonesia between April until June 2023. We collected cigarette packs from at least six types of retailers in each district/city including traditional markets, modern marts, street vendors, kiosks, train/bus stations, and gas stations. All cigarette packs available at the selected retailers were observed and digital photos of the packs were taken. Information on PHW, excise stamps, and types of cigarettes were documented. Data were analysed descriptively.
RESULTS: We collected a total of 11.062 cigarette packs, 68.9% of the packs were machine-rolled kretek cigarettes. Most of the cigarette packs (99.7%) have excise bands, while 99.8% display PHW. However, almost three-quarters (72.2%) of the PHW was covered by the tax stamp. A high proportion of PHW covered by tax stamps was observed on machine-rolled kretek (89.6%) and machine-rolled white cigarettes (88.2%). We also found that 6.7% of the tax band on the packs was the tax stickers from 2019 to 2022.
CONCLUSIONS: Our monitoring showed a high proportion of PHW was covered by excise stamps especially machine-made cigarettes. This fact signifies the goal of displaying PHW to improve awareness and reduce consumption has not been optimally attained. The Government must address this issue to optimise both policy measures, by adjusting the size of the excise band and considering the use of digital excise stamps.