BNNCP demands increase in tax on tobacco products to save the youth

PRESS RELEASE: The Bangladesh Network for NCD Control and Prevention (BNNCP), an organization of medical professionals, has demanded that the prices of all types of tobacco products be taken beyond the purchasing power of the youth to keep future generations away from tobacco addiction.

The organization has written to Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal demanding an increase in prices of all tobacco products, including cigarettes, in the 2021-22 budget.

According to the letter, the Prime Minister has announced to make Bangladesh tobacco free by 2040. As a result of various measures taken by the government to control tobacco, tobacco use has decreased by 18.5 percent in 2017 as compared to 2009. But still about 37.8 million adults in the country use tobacco (smoking and smokeless). More than 1 lakh 61 thousand people die every year in Bangladesh due to tobacco use. Besides, the economic loss (expenses of treatment and loss of productivity) of tobacco use in the 2017-18 financial year was Tk 30,560 crore.

The BNNCP has proposed an increase in tobacco tax, blaming low prices and easy availability of tobacco as the cause of tobacco-related deaths and financial losses. The suggestions are:

1. Introduce a specific tax (supplementary duty) on all brands of cigarettes in the financial year 2021-2022 with uniform specific tax (65% of the retail price). It demanded to fix the price of lower tier cigarettes at TK 50 and TK 70 for medium tier cigarettes with specific tax of Tk 32.50 and TK 45.50 respectively per 10 sticks of cigarettes. Besides, at the higher tier, the retail price of 10 sticks of cigarettes needs to be set at Tk 110 and supplementary tax of Tk 71.50 and TK 140 for premium tier cigarettes while the specific tax should be Tk 91. In the medium term (2021-22 to 2025-26), it is proposed to reduce the price tiers from 4 to 2.

2. Introduce specific excise (supplementary) duty on filtered and unfiltered bidis with uniform specific tax (45% of the retail price). It demanded to fix the price of unfiltered bidis at BDT 25 with specific supplementary duty of BDT 11.25 and BDT 20 for filtered bidis with specific supplementary duty of BDT 9.

3. Introduce specific excise (supplementary) duty including tax and price increase of Jorda and Gul. It demanded to fix the retail price at BDT 45 per 10 grams of jorda and a specific supplementary duty of BDT 27 (60%) is imposed; And fixing a retail price of BDT 25 per 10 grams of gul and imposing a specific supplementary duty of BDT 15 (60%).

The letter added that raising tobacco taxes would increase the price and reduce the availability of tobacco, which would encourage about 1.1 million adult smokers to quit smoking and discourage more than 800,000 young people from starting smoking. Through which it will be possible to prevent the untimely death of 3 lakh 90 thousand current smokers and 4 lakh young people.

BNNCP Introduction:

The Bangladesh Network for NCD Control and Prevention (BNNCP) has been formed by 12 organizations of medical professionals at the initiative of the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in Bangladesh. The member organizations of this network are- National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Diabetic Association, Bangladesh Cardiac Society, Bangladesh Cancer Society, Bangladesh Orthopedic Society, Society of Neurologists of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Endocrine Society, Bangladesh Lung Foundation, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, National Liver Foundation of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Alzheimer’s Society.

NEWS FROM Mahamud Setu. Media Manager, Anti-tobacco Program. National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh. #