# 1. **Introduction**

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco kills more than 7 million people worldwide each year (WHO 2017a). It is the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide (Ng et al. 2014) and is among the major preventable causes of disease and premature death globally (Doll and Hill 1956; Wynder and Graham 1950). Diseases associated with tobacco use include lung cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and respiratory diseases (DHHS 2004). Nearly 80 percent of the world’s smokers live in low- and middleincome countries and are less likely to be informed about the adverse health effects of tobacco use relative to individuals in high-income countries. Indonesia is a major producer and consumer of tobacco; 68.1 percent of men ages 15 or above and 2.5 percent of women use some form of tobacco (Zheng et al. 2018). Kretek cigarettes, often referred to as clove cigarettes, are the most popular tobacco products in the country. As of 2015, an estimated 40 percent of the adult population smoked kretek cigarettes (World Bank 2017a). They are made of a combination of tobacco and ground clove mixed with special sauces unique to each brand (Arnez 2009; Malson 2003). It is estimated that more than one million farmers grow cloves in Indonesia, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the world’s cloves (World Bank 2017b).

Over more than a decade, the Indonesian government has been gradually raising excise taxes on tobacco products. Yet, the taxes remain below the recommended WHO threshold. While the WHO recommends total taxes on tobacco products—that is, specific excise taxes, local taxes, and the value added tax—should be at least 75.0 percent of the retail price, the average rate in Indonesia is 57.4 percent (WHO 2017b). The current cigarette excise tax encompasses 12 tiers. Each tier is based on the type of product, the number of cigarettes produced, and the per unit retail price. Inevitably, such a system leads to substitution toward lower-priced products and thus has limited impact on smoking reduction. Moreover, the Indonesian government has a preferential tax structure for hand-rolled kretek factories because these employ a significant share of kretek workers and account for more than half of the factories in the tobacco industry. As of 2018, the excise tax on hand-rolled kreteks was 24.0 percent of the minimum retail price, while the excise tax on machine-made kreteks was 45.8 percent, depending on the production volume and range of retail prices. In addition to excise taxes on the cigarettes sold in Indonesia, the government also applies a 9.1 percent value added tax, which is collected directly from manufacturers (Ahsan et al. 2013).

Even though the government has considered reforming the excise tax structure by reducing and consolidating the number of tiers and raising taxes, it is concerned this might affect the livelihoods of people in the kretek value chain. A recent World Bank (2017a) study finds that the tax increase would reduce employment in the handmade kretek industry by approximately 8 percent. Some households would lose as much as 27 percent–52 percent of total household income. Nonetheless, the reduction in employment in this industry is equivalent to 1.4 percent of the potential revenue gains from increasing cigarette taxes. The study estimates the annual revenue gain would be Rp 12.9 billion, while the employment loss in the handmade kretek industry would be 24,000 jobs.<sup>2</sup> Thus, the tax and price increase would not only reduce tobacco use and related health care costs, it would generate additional revenue that would more than compensate for the income loss associated with a reduction in employment and production in the kretek industry (World Bank 2017a).

Similarly, reforms in the cigarette excise tax structure have also raised concerns about the possible effects on tobacco farmers. Nonetheless, tobacco leaf is a relatively small agricultural subsector in Indonesia, representing roughly 0.30 percent of the agricultural sector and 0.03 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) (Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture 2010). Another World Bank (2017c) study analyzes the socioeconomic conditions of tobacco farmers in Indonesia and suggests that tobacco is not profitable for most farmers and that there is widespread poverty and food insecurity among tobacco farmers, as well as evidence of child labor during school

> 2 The average annualized kretek income is estimated at Rp 15,500,000, and the projected decrease in wage income is 48.9 percent. The loss of 24,000 jobs in the kretek industry implies a total income loss of Rp 182 billion, equivalent to 1.4 percent of the revenue gain.

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