United News of Bangladesh

Speakers at a discussion on Thursday called for a strong tobacco tax policy including higher taxation and price increases on tobacco products in the 2026–27 national budget to safeguard public health. The demand was raised at a discussion titled “The Importance of Effective Tobacco Taxation in the Upcoming 2026–27 National Budget,” jointly organised by Dhaka Ahsania Mission and Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital. Speaking as the chief guest, Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division (World Health Wing) Sheikh Momina Moni said the easy availability of tobacco products in Bangladesh is contributing to rising smoking rates, particularly among youth and low-income groups. She stressed that increasing prices alone is not sufficient noting that tobacco prices must raise at a rate higher than inflation and income growth to effectively reduce consumption. Md Mostafizur Rahman, former BCIC chairman Mostafizur Rahman, said  Bangladesh incurred an estimated Tk 87,000 crore loss in 2024 due to tobacco-related health and environmental impacts. Speakers observed that tobacco products remain relatively cheap in Bangladesh compared to essential commodities, making them more accessible, especially to younger consumers. They said the lack of price adjustments in line with inflation and income growth has weakened tobacco control efforts. They also noted that the existing tax structure leads to an estimated annual revenue loss of around Tk 44,000 crore, adding that effective tobacco taxation could both reduce smoking and increase government revenue. Nearly 200,000 people die prematurely each year in Bangladesh due to tobacco-related diseases. They emphasised that tobacco control should be treated as a public health priority rather than solely a revenue-generating issue, underscoring the need for significant price hikes through effective taxation. Presenting the keynote paper, Shariful Islam, project coordinator at Dhaka Ahsania Mission, said prices of essential commodities rose sharply between 2021 and 2023, while cigarette prices increased at a much lower rate. He noted that sugar prices rose by 88.97 percent, potatoes by 86.58 percent and flour by 75.09 percent, whereas cigarette prices increased by 15.38 percent in the low tier, 6.35 percent in the mid-tier and 11.11 percent in the premium segment. He warned that mid-tier cigarettes, which have the largest consumer base, saw the lowest price increase, effectively making cigarettes cheaper relative to essential goods. Shariful also proposed restructuring the cigarette market into three tiers by merging the low and mid-tier segments, with suggested retail prices of Tk 100, Tk 150 and Tk 200 for 10-stick packs. He further recommended maintaining a 67 percent supplementary duty across all tiers and imposing a specific tax of Tk 4 per pack. BSRF President Masudul Haque said tobacco companies often spread misinformation ahead of the national budget, claiming that higher taxes would lead to increased smuggling. Members of the BSRF executive committee were present at the event. Among others, BSRF General Secretary Ubaidullah Badal and Mokhlesur Rahman, deputy director of the health sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission spoke at the event.

Scores of prominent doctors have urged the government to hike tobacco tax in the budget to protect public health. In a joint statement on Friday, initiated by Dhaka Ahsania Mission, 121 doctors said tobacco was involved in six of the eight leading causes of preventable death worldwide. The statement noted that cigarettes are very cheap and readily available in the market due to the multi-layered tax structure of cigarettes in Bangladesh depending on the features and brands. As a result, consumers are able to choose cheaper cigarettes instead of quitting, and the use of cigarettes has been relatively similar in recent years. The availability of tobacco products must be reduced through tax increases, said the doctors. Also read: Speakers want specific taxes imposed to increase price of tobacco products According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), tobacco users have a 57 percent higher risk of developing tobacco-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, COPD or lung cancer, and a 109 percent higher risk of other tobacco-related cancers. According to the statement, more than 1,61,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases every year in Bangladesh.

The Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) on Tuesday urged the National Board of Revenue  (NBR) to impose specific taxes and hike prices of all tobacco products to discourage people from consuming them.