title: The recent and projected public health and economic benefits of cigarette taxation in Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Greece is in an economic crisis compounded by the costs caused by smoking. The present investigation estimates the economic and public health benefits ensuing from the recent cigarette excise tax increase in 2011 and projects the potential benefits from an additional €2.00 per pack cigarette tax increase.
  
  
  METHODS
  The effects of the recent cigarette excise tax increase were calculated on outcome measures: total price per pack, including specific excise, ad valorem tax, and value-added tax consumption; tax revenue; and per capita consumption of cigarettes. Additionally, smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses were estimated. Projected effects of an additional €2.00 per pack tax increase on consumption and tax revenue were also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cigarette excise tax increase in 2011 created €558 million in new tax revenue. Cigarette consumption reached a recent low of 24.9 billion sticks sold or 2197 sticks per person in 2011, indicating a 16% decrease in per capita cigarette consumption from the previous year. An additional €2.00 per pack increase in Greek cigarette taxes is projected to result in reduced cigarette sales by an additional 20% and lead to an increase in total cigarette tax revenues by nearly €1.2 billion and the prevention of 192,000 premature deaths.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nations such as Greece, should employ taxation as a crucial measure to promote public health and economic development in such dire times. International economic organisations should aggressively pursue programmes and policies that champion the economic benefits of tobacco taxation.
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Hillel R
authors: HR
authors: Alpert
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Hellenic Cancer Society, Smoking and Lung Cancer Research Center, Athens, Greece.
authors: Constantine I
authors: CI
authors: Vardavas
authors: Department of Economics and Health Policy Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors: Frank J
authors: FJ
authors: Chaloupka
authors: Department of Economics, University of Piraeus, Athens, Greece.
authors: Athanassios
authors: A
authors: Vozikis
authors: National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece.
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Athanasakis
authors: National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece.
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Kyriopoulos
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Monique
authors: M
authors: Bertic
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Hellenic Cancer Society, Smoking and Lung Cancer Research Center, Athens, Greece Foundation for Biomedical Research of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors: Panagiotis K
authors: PK
authors: Behrakis
authors: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Global Tobacco Control, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors: Gregory N
authors: GN
authors: Connolly
mesh_terms: D003132:Commerce; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000191:economics*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013660:Taxes; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000191:economics*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics*
keywords: Economics; Prevention; Public policy; Taxation