Philip Morris is here to help…
Remember that famous phrase, “We’re from the government and we’re here to help”? Well, at a time when many governments are struggling to make ends meet Philip Morris (PM) says that they’re here to help.
In this 74-page slideshow last Friday (there’s lots of pictures, so don’t be too scared), the company’s CFO noted that because it was raising prices on cigarettes in dozens of countries it was actually helping various governments. Here’s how Philip Morris describes it in one of the slides: “Higher cigarette retail prices are boosting government revenues.”
Need proof? Just look at slide #13, which showed the price of a pack of Marlboros in the Ukraine climbing a whopping 78% since January 2008. Slide #12 shows how taxes have also increased dramatically in the Ukraine, rising more than four-fold since Jan. 2008. Despite these sharp price hikes, slide #14 shows that a pack of Marlboros is still cheaper than many other things that consumers might buy in the Ukraine, including a movie ticket, a bottle of Budweiser, a Big Mac, and Colgate toothpaste. Milk, bread, Coke and beer are cheaper than a pack of Marlboros, the slide shows.
We also liked Slide #23, which showed that despite a sluggish economy, Mexican smokers are still willing to plunk down money for Marlboros (and other premium brands) — a whopping 65% opt for premium brand cigarettes there compared with just under 13% in Poland. Another slide shows that Marlboro’s market share in Mexico is just under 50%.
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Posted in Tags: 8Ks, slideshows |
 5 Comments » |
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June 30th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Ukrainians prefer to have their country referred to without the definite article.
So, Ukraine, not ‘”the Ukraine.” The ‘the’ was used when that area was a part of Russia or the USSR. We would say, “the Midwest” or “the South.”
As a cranky Ukrainian friend said to me, “Would you say ‘the France?” or ‘the Canada?’” I said, “What about THE United States?” He answered, “You are talking about states. You say, ‘America,’ but the full name is about the combined states.”
July 1st, 2009 at 11:21 am
When it is all said and done, wouldn’t it be funny if Phillip Morris and marijuana saved the American economy? I am glad they can help, now if we can do save ourselves without killing our health
July 1st, 2009 at 9:39 pm
technicalities aside, nothing beats a moment of peace and quiet with a Marlboro- but good luck to you whatever country u r in and whatever “the” taxes are.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
And then there is Smokey Bear not Smokey the Bear for those of us with children… ahracanum likes a good smoke and I love the smell of air absent smoke… That is a problem; smokers pollute the air around me affecting my enjoyment. I enjoy driving with the window down and invariably I will be downwind from the smokers car driving with their windows down. Enjoying the beach or mountains and a smoker 100 yards away affects my enjoyment. Another thing is the cigarette butts. They are all over the place, the beach, the sidewalks, the mountains, the rivers and many SOB’s just toss them out the window. WTF? Why do they get away with that? I have encountered considerate smokers but they are few and far between. And you’re in an office and a chain smoker walks in the room. May as well walk around with excrement on your shoulder… I actually feel much stronger about this subject but this is Michelle’s website… Nuff said.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Maybe killing our health can ease our pension obligations too, though it might cripple medicare