Rob Branston

Associate Professor in Business Economics in the School of Management and Co-Director of the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, UK.

[The Conversation - Australia + New Zealand @ConversationEDU]

Taxes raise prices, and higher prices reduce smoking. But duty-free tobacco sales remain a policy anomaly and deny the government much-needed health revenue. @JRBranston @otago https://t.co/KdMDMbc1Tl

[Economics for Health (EfH) @EconforHealth]

The 4th edition of the @EconforHealth #CigaretteTaxScorecard is now live 🎉

The Scorecard assesses #cigarette tax policies in 171 countries w/ latest @WHO data. Some gov'ts are progressing, yet most have significant room for improvement 📈

Learn more 👇
https://t.co/lfinHErBtG

[Tobacco Control Research Group @BathTR]

🧵 (1/3)

🎙️ Series 2 of our podcast Deadly Industry: Challenging Big Tobacco is here! 🚨

🎧 Listen and share to help us hold this deadly industry to account: https://t.co/c2A3OhFr1b

@UniofBath

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

My new paper with @MinKuang_Tsai looks at the impact of COVID travel bans on duty-free tobacco sales in #Taiwan. Not being able to access cheap #dutyfree meant less #tobacco sold, a win for public health. Time for duty-free tobacco to be banned!
https://t.co/42NcnaM93B

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

Delighted to report that Dr Allen Gallagher (@AllenGallagher_) and I have been appointed as Co-Directors of the Tobacco Control Research Group (@BathTR) at the University of Bath (@UniofBath). We aim to continue the great that the team has done to date!
https://t.co/28HHLHGmKa

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

My new paper in @TC_BMJ with @ZainebDanish
@kevinmwelding @Lilia_Olefir looks at #HTP taxes and prices in Ukraine. We find they used similar pricing tactics to combustion cigarettes and that lower HTP taxes were just a subsidy for the #tobacco industry https://t.co/3YSEMaB17a

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

Producing #tobacco products is hugely profitable. Wholesale price caps & a #polluterpays levy could stop the industry making so much, increase government tax revenues & stop the industry selling with price. Public health + government finances both win! https://t.co/243A0k3NaU

[Tobacco Control @TC_BMJ]

March Issue: Improving estimates of the illicit cigarette trade through collaboration: lessons from two studies of Malaysia. https://t.co/pUe98DpZPm @JRBranston @AllenGallagher_ @WencyBui

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

Great new blog by Mark Lloyd - policy head at RSA/ex economic and fiscal policy in @hmtreasury and No10 - adding his voice to our work that calls for a new scheme to fix the price of #tobacco products and apply a #polluterpays levy to raise £700m annually
https://t.co/j7YhzcQe92

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

APPG report just out calls for 10 measures to make #smoking obsolete in the UK within 20 years. It adopts our work and calls for the introduction of a #polluterpays levy to limit industry prices and raise £700 million a year from the #tobaccoindustry

https://t.co/yTdnXzARpm

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

#taxation is one of the key tools to address tobacco use. In the EU this is governed by tobacco tax directive #TTD. In my new paper in with @amomal69 / Dr Ross, we evaluate leaked proposal for reform, finding welcome enhancements but not perfection

https://t.co/rq5H9mmed9

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

Delighted to have been involved in this really important project

[Tobacco Control Research Group @BathTR]

A 🆕 report indicates inconsistencies between the amount of #cigarettes produced and the #tax paid by BATK, British American Tobacco’s Kenya subsidiary.

The report from @InvestigativeD and @TaxJusticeAfric suggests a tax discrepancy of up to $28 million.

https://t.co/m776f16Piz

[Tobacco Control Research Group @BathTR]

✨ Episode four of Deadly Industry: Challenging Big Tobacco is out now.

In this episode, @JRBranston discusses all things money including the vast profitability of the #tobaccoindustry and how #tobaccotax works.

Listen: https://t.co/XzQl0aYf1x

#NewPodcast #DeadlyIndustryPod

[Tobacco Control @TC_BMJ]

January Issue: Researchers explore how cigarette prices changed in response to tax increases between 2016 and 2020 in 12 sub-Saharan African countries using cross-sectional local and WHO regional data, including pricing of both packs and single-sticks. https://t.co/vMgWI1IW8w @ZainebDanish @JRBranston @BathTR

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

My new paper with @AllenGallagher_ and our PhD student @BathTR published in @PLOSONE explores #cigarette affordability in #Malaysia 2009-2019 and how to measure it. Affordability increased for most years, showing need for stronger tobacco tax policy https://t.co/8PBEhpNWXJ

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

Cuts to the UK’s £1m development funding to support implementation of the #WHOFCTC in Lower and Middle Income Countries are expected in today's #budget.

In @TheLancet, we argue that such cuts would harm progress on reducing tobacco use / costs it causes

https://t.co/zhhCJPrW0h

[Rob Branston @JRBranston]

I was proud to be one of the people who signed this important letter to the UK chancellor about #tobacco company #profits and making these companies pay for the harm they cause as part of the UK #Budget tomorrow. #Polluterpays

[ASH @AshOrgUK]

🆕Doctors & health charities are urging Chancellor @RachelReevesMP to hit tobacco firms with a financial "double whammy"—a windfall tax and an annual levy—to fund Labour’s goal of eradicating smoking in the UK.
https://t.co/iiUH7v4bz9

[Tobacco Control Research Group @BathTR]

Our research of industry data has found that tobacco companies make excessive industry #profits in the UK.

This letter from @AshOrgUK, signed by @JRBranston, urges the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to make #BigTobacco pay for preventing the harm from smoking.

#PolluterPays

[Tobacco Control Research Group @BathTR]

Governments have not raised minimum tobacco taxes in many EU countries, thus making tobacco products more affordable.

A new study in @NTR_Journal looks at Spain's #tobaccotax situation & considers the need for urgent tax review across the EU.

Read more: https://t.co/JUspl77cqI

[University of Bath @UniofBath]

Dr Rob Branston (@JRBranston) is an Assistant Professor in @BathSofM. He explains how he embraced his nerves to engage policymakers with his research on tobacco control and gave oral evidence to a Parliamentary Committee.

https://t.co/wuW4HoxJTz @UniofBathIPR @BathTR