The World Health Organization (WHO) published a report named "Tobacco and Poverty: A Vicious Cycle" on the World No Tobacco Day in 2004. According to this report, of the 1.3 billion smokers in the world, 84% of them live in the developing countries. Even in developed countries, there are a higher percentage of smokers among lower socioeconomic groups. The inverse relationship between smoking prevalence and income is evident throughout the world.

The poster of WHO for Tobacco and Poverty – A Vicious Circle. (Picture from WHO)

　　Smoking cigarette is detrimental to low income families in three different ways. First of all, low earners normally spend a larger percentage of the income on cigarettes. Secondly, the money that is used to buy cigarettes could have been used for education or more nutritious food, but instead was spent on cigarettes. The quality of life suffers because they do not have the education to obtain better jobs. Thirdly, the diseases that are caused by cigarette smoking not only require medical expenses, but they also affect productivity on the job, thereby reducing the income. These factors that hinder low-income families' quality of life could be prevented.

　　This report shows that the money spent on cigarettes is 10 times the amount spent on education in Bangladesh; in Vietnam, the money spent on cigarettes is 3.6 times the money spent on education, 2.5 times the money spent on clothing, and 1.9 times the money spent on medical care; in the poor southwestern part of China, 11% of all expenditure is spent on cigarettes; the lowest earning tribe in India spend 15% of total income on cigarettes. Based on this report, the financially poor people are the primary victims of the tobacco industry.

　　The WHO reminds us that, because 84% of the world's smokers are concentrated in the developing countries, we need to take a hard look at the diseases and the financial depletion caused by cigarette smoking. Most developing countries reckon that the tobacco industry could bring prosperity to their economies. This is accomplished through agricultural and industrial developments that lead to an increase in the employment rate; economic development by ways of international trade and foreign currency earned; tariff increase from merchandise, consumers, tobacco, and donations. They do not realize that under the attractive wrapping lurks a ticking time bomb.

　　Based on the estimation of Yang-Ming University professor Ying-Cheng Chou, Taiwan's Bureau of National Health Insurance spends between NT$40billion and NT$80billion every year on smoking-related diseases, and that number is going to increase further in the next 20 years, resulting in heavier financial burden. Although China collected 5 billion dollars from tobacco tariffs in 1993, it ended up losing 8 billion dollars due to smoking-related decrease in productivity and increase in medical spending. Smoking related diseases have become one of the biggest financial pitfalls of every nation and every citizen.

　　According to the Citizen Health Survey made by the Bureau of Health Promotion in 2001, the blue-collared smokers outnumbered the white-collared smokers by one third. Although we do not feel the great financial threat smoking poses on our nation, the expenditure on tobacco products nevertheless costs the nation and our families dearly.