Students, academics, researchers, and civil society members gathered at the CIRDAP Auditorium today to demand higher tobacco taxes and effective pricing in the upcoming 2025-26 budget.
Organised by the Shastho Shurokkha Foundation, the Youth Conference emphasised the need for stringent measures to reduce tobacco use, protect public health, and increase government revenue, reads a press release.
The discussions revealed that tobacco use claims approximately 161,000 lives annually in Bangladesh, with the country holding the highest tobacco usage rate in South Asia at 35.3%. Alarmingly, the government spends 34% more on treating tobacco-related diseases than it earns in tobacco revenue.
One of the key proposals put forward was reducing the four-tier cigarette pricing structure to three tiers by merging the low and middle tiers, setting a minimum price of BDT 80 for a 10-pack in this combined tier. Additionally, the minimum price for high-tier cigarettes should be set at BDT 130, and for premium-tier cigarettes at BDT 180. The proposal also suggested increasing the supplementary duty on all tiers to 67%. Implementing these measures could prevent 1.6 million premature deaths, deter 1.6 million youth from starting smoking, encourage 2.3 million smokers to quit, and generate approximately BDT 60,000 crore in revenue in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Sheikh Momena Moni, Additional Secretary of the Health Services Division, stressed the importance of imposing specific taxes on tobacco products, adjusted regularly to account for inflation and income growth. She highlighted ongoing efforts, including discouraging tobacco advertisements in media and incorporating anti-tobacco messages in educational materials.
Dr. Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Professor at the Institute of Health Economics, Dhaka University, stated that raising tobacco prices and taxes is the most effective strategy to reduce usage, particularly among teenagers. He noted that a 10% price increase could result in a 7.1% reduction in tobacco use in Bangladesh.
Dr. Md. Shahidul Islam, a former National Board of Revenue (NBR) member, criticized the flawed tobacco tax structure and emphasized the urgent need for reforms. "Tobacco products remain too cheap and accessible in Bangladesh, making it difficult to curb their use," he remarked.
Professor Rafiqul Islam of Jagannath University’s Sociology Department suggested adopting a uniform tax system and increasing supplementary duties on low-end cigarettes to at least 70% of the retail price to improve public health and generate additional revenue.
Youth representatives at the conference also voiced their concerns. Arif Ahmed, a sociology student, highlighted the dangers of tobacco use among minors and called for decisive action from the caretaker government to protect future generations. Anti-Tobacco Club Youth Leader Golam Morshed underscored the heightened risks of heart disease, stroke, and cancer linked to tobacco consumption and reiterated the need for higher taxes to curb its use.