The National Heart Foundation and the United Forum Against Tobacco have proposed increasing cigarette prices to between Tk 17 and Tk 35 per stick from the 2026–27 fiscal year.
The proposal was unveiled at a press conference held on Monday at the National Press Club.
The organisations said a substantial rise in cigarette prices is essential to protect young people from the harmful effects of smoking, reduce premature deaths, and boost government revenue. They recommended introducing a four-tier pricing structure: premium, high, medium, and low categories.
Under the proposed structure, the retail price of a 10-stick pack in the premium category has been set at Tk 200. With a 67 percent supplementary duty and a fixed tax of Tk 4 per pack, the per-stick price would rise to Tk 35.
For the high-tier category, the retail price is proposed to increase from Tk 140 to Tk 150 per pack. After applying a 67 percent supplementary duty and a fixed tax of Tk 4, the per-stick price would rise to Tk 25.45, approximately Tk 2 higher than the current rate.
For the medium and low categories, the price of a 10-stick pack has been proposed to increase from Tk 80 and Tk 60 respectively to Tk 100. With applicable taxes, the per-stick price would stand at Tk 17.01.
The organisations claimed that if implemented, the proposed price adjustment could discourage around 5 lakh adults from smoking and prevent more than 3lakh 72 thousand young people from initiating tobacco use. In the long term, it is expected to avert approximately 1 lakh 85 thousand 408 adult deaths and 1 lakh, 85thousand 335 youth deaths.
They further estimated that tobacco consumption could decline by around 0.5 percent, while tobacco tax revenue could exceed Tk 85,000 crore, about Tk 44,000 crore higher than in the previous fiscal year.
Public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain said that while prices of essential commodities continue to rise, cigarette prices remain comparatively low. He emphasised that higher tobacco prices would discourage smoking among both youth and low-income groups due to economic constraints.
He also noted that smoking-related diseases such as cancer and respiratory illnesses place a significant financial burden on low-income families, often pushing them into severe economic hardship due to medical expenses.