Health experts, academics, and youth leaders convened to urge the government to increase tobacco taxes and prices in the 2025-26 fiscal budget.
The conference, organized by the Shastho Shurokkha Foundation on Monday at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, aimed to promote effective tobacco taxation measures to protect public health and boost government revenue.
The keynote presentation underscored the severe impact of tobacco-related diseases, which cause approximately 161,000 premature adult deaths annually in Bangladesh.
With a tobacco usage rate of 35.3%, the highest in South Asia, the nation faces significant health and economic challenges.
The healthcare costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses surpass government revenue from the tobacco sector by 34%.
Speakers proposed reducing the existing four cigarette price tiers to three by merging the low and medium tiers.
They suggested setting the minimum price for a 10-stick cigarette pack at Tk80 for the new tier, Tk130 for the high tier, and Tk180 for the premium tier.
Implementing these measures is expected to prevent approximately 1.6 million premature deaths, deter around 1.6 million youths from smoking, encourage 2.3 million adult smokers to quit, and generate an estimated Tk60,000 crore in revenue during the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Sheikh Momena Moni, additional secretary (WH wing) and program director at National Tobacco Control Cell (NTCC), emphasized the necessity of specific taxes to reduce the availability of tobacco products.
She said: “Specific taxes should be imposed and increased regularly in line with inflation and income growth. The price level of cigarettes should be adjusted by reducing the supplementary duty and narrowing the price gap between different price levels of cigarettes. The opportunity to use low-price cigarettes should be limited, and a single price level system should be introduced in phases.”
She further highlighted various initiatives undertaken, including collaboration with the Ministry of Information to halt tobacco product advertisements in dramas and movies.
Professor Dr Shafiun Shimul of Dhaka University’s Institute of Health Economics highlighted that increasing tobacco prices and taxes beyond affordability is one of the most effective and cost-efficient tobacco control measures, particularly for deterring youth.
Research indicates that a 10% price hike could reduce tobacco use in Bangladesh by 7.1%.
Dr Md Shahidul Islam, former member of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), emphasized that increasing tobacco prices through higher taxes is a globally recognized strategy for discouraging use.
However, he noted that tobacco products in Bangladesh remain inexpensive and widely accessible due to flawed tax structures.
Professor Dr Rafiqul Islam from the Sociology Department at Jagannath University proposed increasing all cigarette prices in line with inflation and income growth, raising supplementary duty on lower-tier cigarettes to at least 70% of retail prices, and transitioning to a uniform or mixed tax system to boost revenue and improve public health.
Student Arif Ahmed from Jagannath University and Golam Morshed, youth leader of the Anti-Tobacco Club, stressed the urgency of raising tobacco taxes and prices to protect the nation’s youth and reduce the risk of tobacco-related diseases.
The conference concluded with a unified call for stringent tobacco taxation measures to safeguard public health and ensure a smoke-free future for Bangladesh.