Atiur for effective tobacco taxation to safeguard low-income households
There is no alternative to effective tobacco taxation to safeguard low-income households from the curses of tobacco, speakers at a pre-budget press conference said Wednesday.
"Low-income households of Bangladesh could save a lot of money if they reduced their tobacco consumption. The money saved could be spent on improving their living conditions. Retail prices of tobacco products need to be increased significantly through effective tobacco taxation so that purchasing tobacco products become difficult for the people." They said at a pre-budget press conference organised by Unnayan Shamannay at the Nasrul Hamid Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters' Unity in Dhaka.
Unnayan Shamannay Chair and former Governor of Bangladesh Bank Professor Atiur Rahman presented the tobacco taxation proposals at the press conference titled 'Tobacco Taxation Proposals for FY 2022-23'.
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Arup Ratan Chowdhury (Professor of Ibrahim Medical College and member of the National Tobacco Control Taskforce) and Mostafizur Rahman (Lead Policy Advisor, CTFK Bangladesh) also spoke on the occasion.
Atiur Rahman said, "In Bangladesh, the growth of per capita income is much faster than the growth of taxes on tobacco products. The Prime Minister, when declaring to get rid of tobacco in the country by 2040, clearly directed the re-haul of the tobacco taxation system in a manner that on the one hand, ensures a decrease in tobacco use and on the other hand, ensures an increase in revenue earned from the sale of tobacco products".
In alignment with that directive, anti-tobacco stakeholders have come up with tobacco taxation proposals which if implemented will result in 1.3 million citizens quitting cigarettes, 0.9 million untimely deaths avoided, and additional Tk9,200 crore revenue from the sale of cigarettes."
Dr Arup Ratan in his remarks emphasised the stakeholders to work together including the Ministry of Health, the National Board of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance and all others to get the country rid of tobacco.
Mostafizur Rahman pointed out that policymakers must note that the overarching goal of tobacco taxation is for safeguarding public health, not increase the in revenue.
