Indicators of Influence
These seven key indicators highlight interference from the tobacco industry in Chile.
Industry participation in policy development
Indicator Score:
8 / 20
Chile has implemented high tobacco taxes and 100% smoke-free-places legislation. Tobacco product promotion and sponsorship is almost fully banned but the penalty for not complying remains low. Currently, Chile has no legislative regulation on the participation of harmful companies, such as tobacco companies, in policy development and implementation.
Tobacco industry-related CSR activities
Indicator Score:
0 / 20
Government agencies or their officials do not endorse, support, form partnerships with or participate in so-called CSR activities organized by the tobacco industry.
Benefits given to the tobacco industry
Indicator Score:
6 / 20
International travelers can bring into the country up to 400 units of cigarettes, 500 grams of pipe tobacco, 50 units of cigars and 2,500 cubic centimeters of alcoholic beverages per adult.
Unnecessary interaction with the tobacco industry
Indicator Score:
8 / 20
The government does not accept assistance from the tobacco industry on enforcement and implementation of tobacco control policies.
Procedure for transparency measures
Indicator Score:
5 / 20
Chile has transparency legislation which specifies that the authorities and the officials of the State Administration must strictly comply to the principle of transparency of the public function. This includes respecting and protecting the publicity of acts, resolutions, administration procedures and documents and in facilitating access for any person to that information through the means and procedures that the law has set.
Avoiding conflicts of interest
Indicator Score:
8 / 20
Law No. 20,730 has been in place since 2014. It regulates the lobby and other efforts that represent private interests in order to strengthen transparency and honesty, and ensures meetings with tobacco companies are published.
The government does not prohibit contributions from the tobacco industry or any entity that works to promote their interests to political parties, candidates, or campaigns. In Chile there are transparency and probity laws, but neither indicates that it prevents contributions from the tobacco industry.
Preventive measures
Indicator Score:
21 / 30
The government has neither formulated nor adopted a code of conduct for public officials to guide them when dealing with the tobacco industry.
Recommendations
These are ways Chile can deter interference from the tobacco industry:
- Formulate or adopt a code of conduct for public officials to guide them when dealing with the tobacco industry.
- Decrease the number of cigarettes, grams of pipe tobacco and units of cigars that international travelers can bring into the country.
- Accelerate the new tobacco legislation that has stalled in the Senate Agriculture Commission for two years.
- Requirement of rules for the disclosure or registration of tobacco industry entities, affiliated organizations and individuals acting on their behalf including lobbyists.
- Prohibit contributions from the tobacco industry or any entity working to further its interests to political parties, candidates or campaigns and require full disclosure of such contributions.
- Implement a program/system/plan to consistently raise awareness within government departments on policies relating to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3 Guidelines.
- Put in place a policy to disallow the acceptance of all forms of contributions/gifts from the tobacco industry (monetary or otherwise) including offers of assistance, policy drafts or study visit invitations given or offered to the government, its agencies, officials and their relatives.
Learn more about tobacco industry interference in this country.
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