THE Solomon Islands Tobacco Co Limited (SITCO) is concerned with some of the provisions in the Tobacco Control Bill 2010.
This is to do with the required number of cigarette packets, issuing of licence and setting up a committee to look into healthy lifestyle.
Appearing before the Bills and Legislative Committee in Parliament yesterday, Marketing Manager, Scravin Tongi said the 10 packets size requirement should be reduced to five.
He said this is because about 80% of single stick sales are in the country.
"Based on experience in the South Pacific in Samoa and Fiji where 10 packet size was introduced, they still experienced single stick sales," he said.
"Therefore, we should start with 5 packets size before moving to 10 and 20 in the future."
Human Resource manager, Joseph Sanga said the Act gives the permanent secretary of Ministry of Health a lot of power to issue licence.
He said this is dangerous because the PS could make bias decisions.
Mr Sanga said vendors who sell tobacco for living will find it difficult to pay a licence.
"This could lead to vendors resorting to black markets," he said.
"I think the Ministry should give a registration and notification to vendors and not to make them pay licences."
General Manager, Ritesh Dass said Government should replace the committee to look into healthy lifestyle with an enforcement body.
"If we pass the bill but there is no enforcement capacity, then we cannot achieve our goal in this bill," he said.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
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