UNB, Dhaka :
Raising tax substantially on tobacco products in the upcoming budget can help cut tobacco consumption in the country and protect public health from its adverse impacts, say economists.
“There’s no doubt if tax on tobacco products is increased substantially, tobacco users will be forced to quit smoking and its use because of their high prices,” said eminent economist Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.
He said, if one gets addicted to tobacco, he or she cannot quit it overnight, but when the prices of tobacco products go up significantly, tobacco users are compelled to minimise their use considering the cost.
Bangladesh is among the top 10 tobacco-consuming countries in the world. Over 58 percent of men and 29 percent of women use tobacco in one way or the other. In 2012, an estimated 46.3 million adults used some form of tobacco products, smoked or smokeless, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Raising tax substantially on tobacco products in the upcoming budget can help cut tobacco consumption in the country and protect public health from its adverse impacts, say economists.
“There’s no doubt if tax on tobacco products is increased substantially, tobacco users will be forced to quit smoking and its use because of their high prices,” said eminent economist Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.
He said, if one gets addicted to tobacco, he or she cannot quit it overnight, but when the prices of tobacco products go up significantly, tobacco users are compelled to minimise their use considering the cost.
Bangladesh is among the top 10 tobacco-consuming countries in the world. Over 58 percent of men and 29 percent of women use tobacco in one way or the other. In 2012, an estimated 46.3 million adults used some form of tobacco products, smoked or smokeless, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
