Taxing tobacco use

The relevant authorities ought to seriously move in the direction to impose 70 per cent tax on tobacco to prevent smoking

It is good to know that the cabinet gave approval to the draft of “The Health Development Surcharge Management Policy-2017” which is aimed at controlling the use of tobacco and creating mass awareness against the adverse impacts of tobacco on human health. Increasing tax on tobacco products is a proven way to control smoking, thereby helping smokers or tobacco users to minimize their health risk from tobacco.

But in Bangladesh price of a cigarette on an average is still much lower; even the low income group of people here can afford to puff away a cigarette of good brand, let alone those people belonging to the richer section of society for whom price of a 20-stick packet of cigarettes is nothing. Yet the low income group of people becomes particularly vulnerable when tobacco-related various diseases strike them. Considering the huge impact on health it causes, we time and again urged the relevant people to increase tax on tobacco-based products including cigarettes and bidis.

There is already a law for imposing surcharge on tobacco products in the country and the cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam pointed out that Taka 300 crore per year is being deposited into the health ministry, but a policy on the surcharge management policy would be particularly helpful in this. According to an estimate, if the government follows the guidelines of World Health Organisation (WHO) and imposes 70 per cent tax, it would be possible to earn additional revenue of Tk 25,000 crore annually for Bangladesh.

However, the specific suggestions in the draft policy would act as a guideline to regulate surcharge and how effectively the money raised through this could be used for health development. The relevant authorities ought to seriously move in the direction to impose 70 per cent tax on tobacco to prevent smoking.

If Bangladesh wants to become a smoking-free country by 2040 as declared by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, it must discourage tobacco cultivation besides increasing tax on cigarettes, bidis as well as strictly enforcing prohibition of smoking in public places.

There is also the prime need of making people aware of dangers of smoking. Since a person mostly starts smoking at his or her teen age, guardians of boys and girls of this group must keep a watch on their children during this time. They ought to teach their children the lethal dangers involved in smoking.   

Taxing tobacco use

The relevant authorities ought to seriously move in the direction to impose 70 per cent tax on tobacco to prevent smoking

It is good to know that the cabinet gave approval to the draft of The Health Development Surcharge Management Policy-2017 which is aimed at controlling the use of tobacco and creating mass awareness against the adverse impacts of tobacco on human health. Increasing tax on tobacco products is a proven way to control smoking, thereby helping smokers or tobacco users to minimize their health risk from tobacco. But in Bangladesh price of a cigarette on an average is still much lower; even the low income group of people here can afford to puff away a cigarette of good brand, let alone those people belonging to the richer section of society for whom price of a 20-stick packet of cigarettes is nothing. Yet the low income group of people becomes particularly vulnerable when tobacco-related various diseases strike them. Considering the huge impact on health it causes, we time and again urged the relevant people to increase tax on tobacco-based products including cigarettes and bidis. There is already a law for imposing surcharge on tobacco products in the country and the cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam pointed out that Taka 300 crore per year is being deposited into the health ministry, but a policy on the surcharge management policy would be particularly helpful in this. According to an estimate, if the government follows the guidelines of World Health Organisation (WHO) and imposes 70 per cent tax, it would be possible to earn additional revenue of Tk 25,000 crore annually for Bangladesh. However, the specific suggestions in the draft policy would act as a guideline to regulate surcharge and how effectively the money raised through this could be used for health development. The relevant authorities ought to seriously move in the direction to impose 70 per cent tax on tobacco to prevent smoking. If Bangladesh wants to become a smoking-free country by 2040 as declared by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, it must discourage tobacco cultivation besides increasing tax on cigarettes, bidis as well as strictly enforcing prohibition of smoking in public places. There is also the prime need of making people aware of dangers of smoking. Since a person mostly starts smoking at his or her teen age, guardians of boys and girls of this group must keep a watch on their children during this time. They ought to teach their children the lethal dangers involved in smoking.