The Israeli government has proposed a set of legislative amendments aimed at curbing tobacco use and approved the establishment of a new anti-smoking unit at the Health Ministry.

The proposals include a hike on cigarette taxes and a ban on smoking in public places, including train stations and roofed bus stops, as well as a limitation on smoking in outdoor seating areas in restaurant to 15 square meters or 25 per cent of the seating area, reports Haaretz.com.

The cabinet also approved the establishment of a new anti-smoking unit at the Health Ministry, which will allow the ministry to enforce smoking without depending on local authorities and municipal inspectors; advancing legislative amendments to further limit tobacco products advertising; advancing legislative amendments to ban the sale of cigarettes in vending machines, and examining the option of marking tobacco products with graphic warnings and pictures, similar to some European countries.

The proposals are based on the report of a public committee appointed last year by Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman.

Litzman told a press conference yesterday that not all of the committee's recommendations were endorsed by the cabinet. One of the rejected measures was limiting the discounts on cigarette sales in Duty Free shops on grounds that terminating the discounts would increase smuggling.

The cabinet also held back from announcing an immediate 10 per cent price hike on cigarettes, sending the proposal instead to the Finance Ministry and asking it to comment within 180 days.

State income from taxation on cigarettes for 2010 is expected to reach NIS 5 billion, NIS 750 million of which will come from locally produced cigarettes and the rest from imports.

The Health Ministry, which recently announced its goals for 2020 – including the reduction of cigarette consumption in Israel by 60 per cent – intends to gradually implement the plan over the coming year. (pi)