Staff Reporter :
Experts have urged the government to increase taxes on tobacco products to make number of smokers reduced and youths to be reluctant of taking smoking as their habit.
They suggested to hike taxes on tobacco products for curbing health risks and increase revenue earnings.
They also suggested to raise the price of cigarettes at the low-tier in these regards.
They said although the low-tier cigarettes occupy almost 75 percent of the whole industry, but its price remained unchanged over the last two years. As a result, the number of smokers at this level is not declining.
When contacted, ABM Zubair, Executive Director of advocacy organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) told The New Nation, “Increasing tobacco products’ prices by imposing specific supplementary duties would give the government more revenues and reduce tobacco-related deaths and losses.”
Director (research) of Unnayan Shamannay Abdullah Nadvy termed the current duty structure of cigarettes is complex and it should be more simplified.
Nadvy suggested for raising the price of cigarettes at the high-tier specifically.
He proposed for making the price of every cigarette packet of 10 sticks low-tier at Taka 50 from the existing Taka 39 while in the mid-tier, the price of cigarette packets should be Taka 75 from Taka 63.
“Implementing the price hiking proposals, the number of smokers will be reduced by 13 lakh. Besides, about nine lakh youths will be discouraged to continue smoking,” he said.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission Deputy Director Mokhlesur Rahman said, there is no alternative for raising the price of tobacco products to make Bangladesh a tobacco free country by 2041 as announced earlier by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Grants Manager Abdus Salama Mia said, “Controlling the use of tobacco will not only help alleviating poverty, but also reduce the cost of the government in addressing the tobacco related diseases and health risks.”
