Doctors and public health experts on Tuesday urged the government to significantly raise tobacco taxes and retail prices in the national budget for FY2026-27, warning that tobacco use remains one of the leading risk factors behind Bangladesh’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which account for nearly 71 percent of all deaths nationwide.
They said the low prices and easy availability of tobacco products continue to attract new users, particularly among young people, undermining public health efforts and placing an increasing strain on the country’s healthcare system.
The call was made at a seminar titled “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Reducing the Risk of Non-Communicable Diseases”, held at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
The event was organized by the Platform of Medical and Dental Society with technical support from the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh.
The seminar was inaugurated with a welcome address by Dr. Irfanur Rahman, General Secretary of the Platform of Medical and Dental Society while the keynote paper was presented by Dr. Muntaha Farhan, Director and Head of Human Resources of the organization.
The keynote presentation highlighted that around 37.8 million adults currently use tobacco in Bangladesh. Nearly 200,000 people die prematurely every year from tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco use among young people aged 15–24 stands at 10.3 percent.
A recent joint study by the University of Dhaka and Johns Hopkins University found that tobacco use and production caused health and environmental losses worth nearly TK 87,000 crore in 2024. In contrast, government revenue from the tobacco sector was only about TK41,000 crore during the same period.
The presentation proposed major reforms to the cigarette tax structure in the FY 2026-27 budget. These include merging the low- and medium-tier cigarette categories and setting the retail price of a 10-stick pack at TK 100. It also proposed a specific supplementary tax of TK 4 per pack and increasing the prices of high-tier and premium cigarettes to TK 150 and TK 200 respectively.
Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Dept. of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said that NCDs are now the country's biggest public health challenge as tobacco use is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
"People who start using tobacco at a young age face a much higher risk of developing NCDs later in life. Therefore, increasing tobacco prices through taxation is essential to protect young people," he said.
Public health expert Dr. Mohammad Mushtuq Husain said that raising tobacco taxes benefits both public health and the economy. Evidence from around the world shows that higher tobacco prices reduce consumption, especially among young people and low-income groups. At the same time, government revenue increases.
Special guest Dr. Sakhawat Hassan Jiban, Member of Parliament for Habiganj-2, stressed the importance of effective tobacco taxation in reducing the burden of tobacco-related diseases. The proposal to merge the low- and medium-tier cigarette categories would reduce the affordability of cigarettes, discourage youth smoking and increase government revenue.
Professor Dr. Khandoker Abdul Awal Rizvi, President of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, said that effective tobacco taxation is not only a public health measure but also an important development strategy.
He noted that the proposed tax reforms could encourage nearly 500,000 adult smokers to quit and prevent more than 372,000 young people from taking up smoking. In the long term, the reforms could prevent around 370,000 premature deaths.
The seminar was attended by medical students, physicians, public health professionals and journalists. The session was moderated by Dr. Aruna Sarkar, Coordinator of the Tobacco Control Program.
