New Bill Draft Prepared by Ministry of Health for Preventive Healthcare Services
A new draft bill prepared by the Ministry of Health envisions additional deductions from tobacco products and certain foods.
With a 25-article draft bill prepared within the Ministry of Health, the establishment of a preventive healthcare services fund is planned. Targeted to be submitted to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in October or November, the regulation envisages making additional deductions from tobacco products, sugary beverages, and high-calorie snacks.
Purpose of the Draft Bill
The 25-article draft bill prepared by the Ministry of Health is targeted to be submitted to the Presidency of the TBMM in October or November. Within the framework of the fund established to ensure the sustainability of preventive health services and healthy living policies, it is planned to make deductions at certain rates from tobacco products, sugary beverages, and high-calorie snacks.
Contribution Fee on Tobacco Products
According to the draft, it was designed to collect a contribution fee of 20 TL per pack from packaged tobacco products, and 100 TL per kilogram from unpackaged tobacco sold by weight. Considering the annual average consumption of 5.5 billion packs of cigarettes across Turkey, it is calculated that approximately 110 billion liras of resources will be transferred annually to the fund through this deduction channel.
Sugary Beverages and Snacks
The prepared draft does not limit its financing source solely to tobacco products. Within the scope of the regulation, it is envisaged to collect a contribution fee of up to 5 TL per 100 milliliters from sugary beverages depending on their sugar content, and at a rate of 20 percent of the sales price from snack products whose excessive consumption is not recommended.
Areas of Use of the Collected Resources
The obtained budget is targeted to be directed directly to projects protecting and developing public health. The resource will be used in school nutrition programs, combating childhood obesity, dental health screenings, sports infrastructure investments, increasing the capacities of smoking cessation outpatient clinics, and early diagnosis processes for tobacco-related diseases.
Parliamentary Process and Expectations
The 25-article proposal draft completed by the Ministry of Health is expected to be finalized after technical reviews to be conducted within the AKP parliamentary group and submitted to the Parliament's agenda during the autumn period.