Remove cigarette price slabs, say activists

Anti-tobacco campaigners in the capital yesterday demanded removal of cigarette price slabs in the new budget, reports UNB.
Although the demand was raised earlier for inserting specific tax on cigarettes by removing its price slabs in the budget for fiscal 2016-17, there is no reflection of the demand on it, they told a press conference.
Progga, Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), National Heart Foundation, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Ubinig, WBB Trust and Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA), among others, jointly organised the press conference at the Jatiya Press Club.
Reading out a keynote paper, Dr Rumana Huque, a professor of Economics at Dhaka University, said the existing price slabs of tobacco taxation paves the way for dodging tax.
“If the slab system is not removed, tax dodging will go up. Tobacco companies will take advantages of the complex taxation system and the government will be deprived of tax,” she said.
According to a 2014 report of the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh is one the countries across the world where cigarette price is the lowest. The prices of bidi and smokeless tobacco are also lowest in Bangladesh and these tobacco products are being cheaper here day by day.
National Professor Brig (retd) Abdul Malik said the government should cancel the price slabs of cigarettes considering the public health. “We strongly demand the government accept our proposals and insert specific tax on tobacco products,” he said.

Remove cigarette price slabs, say activists

Anti-tobacco campaigners in the capital yesterday demanded removal of cigarette price slabs in the new budget, reports UNB. Although the demand was raised earlier for inserting specific tax on cigarettes by removing its price slabs in the budget for fiscal 2016-17, there is no reflection of the demand on it, they told a press conference. Progga, Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), National Heart Foundation, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Ubinig, WBB Trust and Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA), among others, jointly organised the press conference at the Jatiya Press Club. Reading out a keynote paper, Dr Rumana Huque, a professor of Economics at Dhaka University, said the existing price slabs of tobacco taxation paves the way for dodging tax. If the slab system is not removed, tax dodging will go up. Tobacco companies will take advantages of the complex taxation system and the government will be deprived of tax, she said. According to a 2014 report of the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh is one the countries across the world where cigarette price is the lowest. The prices of bidi and smokeless tobacco are also lowest in Bangladesh and these tobacco products are being cheaper here day by day. National Professor Brig (retd) Abdul Malik said the government should cancel the price slabs of cigarettes considering the public health. We strongly demand the government accept our proposals and insert specific tax on tobacco products, he said.