俄财长鼓励民众多吸烟多喝酒

继今年6月宣布将在未来三年成倍提高香烟消费税之后，俄罗斯财政部长近期又发表另类言论，鼓励民众多吸烟、多喝酒，为政府增加税收，从而改善社会服务质量。他表示，吸烟和喝酒的人们其实是在为国家做贡献，人们每吸一盒香烟就意味着为解决国家面临的社会问题贡献了一份力量。事实上，俄罗斯的烟酒消费量现在已经相当高了。据官方数据显示，俄罗斯有65%的男性都在吸烟，而普通俄罗斯民众每年要消费18升的酒精饮料，其中主要为伏特加酒。

Smoke and drink more, Russia's finance minister Alexei Kudrin urged citizens on Wednesday, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.

"If you smoke a pack of cigarettes, that means you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates," Kudrin said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state," he said, offering unconventional advice as the Russian government announced plans to raise excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes.

Alcohol and cigarette consumption are already extremely high in Russia, where 65 percent of men smoke and the average Russian consumes 18 litres of alcoholic beverages per year, mainly vodka, according to official statistics.

Russian duties on cigarettes are among the lowest in Europe, with most brands priced at around 40 rubles (one euro, 1.30 dollars) per pack and unfiltered cigarettes selling for much less.

The finance ministry in June announced plans to more than double excise duty on cigarettes over the next three years from 250 roubles per 1,000 filtered cigarettes to 590 roubles in 2013.

The move is likely to be unpopular in the nicotine-addicted nation where a cigarette shortage in the late 1980s and early 1990s incited protests and led then-president Mikhail Gorbachev to appeal for emergency outside shipments.

The state recently imposed a new minimum legal price for vodka, implemented a zero tolerance ban on drink-driving and banned night-time sales of alcohol to curb abuse blamed for the deaths of thousands of Russians every year.

Alcohol abuse kills around 500,000 Russians annually and greatly impacts male life expectancy, which is lower than in such developing countries as Bangladesh and Honduras, according to official figures.

Vocabulary:

excise duty: 消费税