TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Vice president Jusuf Kalla agreed with the Central Agency on Statistics (BPS) that cigarette is a commodity that drives the society poor. He said that the price is sometimes far beyond customers’ income.
"It can drive people poor as they spend more than they earn," said Kalla. "If income remains stagnant and cigarette price increase, it becomes a problem – especially because cigarette is often a primary need."
Previously, the Center of Statistics stated that low-income group of people spends a great deal of expenses for cigarette. Head of BPS, Suryamin, claimed that cigarette is a major contributor that keeps people below poverty line. As the cause of poverty, it scores 8.08 percent in urban areas and 7.68 percent in rural areas.
FAIZ NASHRILLAH