Anti-tobacco groups for duty hike on tobacco products

Some 18 anti-tobacco organisations have backed the demands for increasing the supplementary duty on all types of tobacco products in the upcoming national budget for FY23.

The demand was made at a solidarity rally held in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday.

Specific taxation, increase in government revenue and protection of public health have been the highlights of the campaign.

The rally, with Helal Uddin Ahmed of Prottasha in the chair, was addressed, among others, by Nasir Uddin of Vital Strategy, Farhana Zaman Lizar of Tobacco Control Research Cell (TCRC), Khalil Ullah of National Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh (NATAB), Shariful Islam of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and Dr Farhana Rahman, Seema Das Shimu, Rubina Islam and Barrister Jewel Sarkar.

The speakers said that raising the price of tobacco products through increased taxes is an internationally pursued method to discourage tobacco use.

But due to lack of effective taxation, tobacco products are becoming very cheap and readily available in Bangladesh.

They observed that the existing tobacco tax system has not been able to play a fully supportive role in achieving the 'Tobacco Free Bangladesh' promised by the prime minister.

They also pointed out that every year more than 1.61 lakh people die and 3.62 lakh people become disabled due to tobacco use in Bangladesh.

In the financial year 2017-18, the economic loss (loss of medical expenses and productivity) of tobacco use was Tk 30,560 crore and the revenue loss was Tk 22,810 crore. The net loss is about Tk 8,000 crore.

The leaders of the anti-tobacco groups handed over a memorandum to the chairman of the National Board of Revenue containing their demands.