Anti-tobacco leaders demand industry interference-free tobacco tax | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Wednesday
June 11, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2025
Anti-tobacco leaders demand industry interference-free tobacco tax

Bangladesh

TBS Report
05 February, 2022, 10:35 pm
Last modified: 06 February, 2022, 01:30 pm

Related News

  • FY26: Unchanged tobacco tax in proposed budget may cost government Tk20,000cr, say experts
  • Budget 2025-26: Tobacco tax can address revenue shortfall
  • Health adviser stresses need for tobacco-free nation to curb disease
  • CA for making youth aware of tobacco's harmful effects
  • Health Reform Commission to submit report after reviewing proposed tobacco law amendments

Anti-tobacco leaders demand industry interference-free tobacco tax

TBS Report
05 February, 2022, 10:35 pm
Last modified: 06 February, 2022, 01:30 pm
Anti-tobacco leaders demand industry interference-free tobacco tax

To safeguard public health, anti-tobacco leaders have raised demand for the adoption of tobacco tax and price measures that is free from industry interference. 

Advocacy and Research Institute Progga (Knowledge for Progress) organised the webinar titled "Tobacco Tax and Price Measures: Industry Ill Tactics and the Needful" on Saturday (5 February) with support from Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids (CTFK). 

Each year before the formulation of national budget, tobacco industry employs a number of ill tactics to stave off any increase in tobacco taxes and prices. 

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

The industry also has a set of manipulative and over-used arguments at its disposal to confuse and mislead the policymakers and mass people: that taxes of cigarettes are already too high, that tax and price increase will lead to illicit trade, cause revenue loss for the government and discourage FDI, that such increase will cause mass lay-offs in bidi industry, that tobacco industry is the highest tax-paying industry.  

However, according to a 2021 World Health Organization report, Bangladesh ranks 107th among 165 countries on the basis of affordability of cigarettes (165th being the most affordable). 

Even the cheapest cigarette brand in neighbouring India is more than twice as expensive compared to that of Bangladesh. The lack of an effective taxation policy has kept the prices of cigarettes so low over the years. 

A 2019 World Bank report reveals that the percentage of illicit cigarette market in Bangladesh stands at merely 1.8% which is the lowest in 27 countries included in the report. So, the argument industry often promotes, correlating increase in tobacco taxes and spike in illicit trade is an attempt to create confusion among policymakers. 

Moreover, 96% of all revenues generated from cigarette industry comes not from company coffers, but from the pockets of consumers as indirect taxes. Therefore, cigarette companies claim to be the highest taxpayers is an invalid one.

On the other hand, bidi factory owners also magnify the size of their workforce to a great extent to extract benefits by using the specter of mass lay-offs before budget. 

A 2019 study of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) refutes such claims of bidi factory owners, revealing that the total number of full-time equivalent bidi workers (regular, irregular and contractual) stands at 46,916 which is only 0.074% of total labor force of Bangladesh (63.5 million). 

It was also informed in the webinar, organised by PROGGA, that to influence tax authority tobacco companies use MPs to issue DO letter on their behalf, use foreign diplomats to send letters to Finance Ministry, assign some paid and beneficiary economists to write columns in dailies against tax increase, conduct meticulously planned media campaign, stage nationwide protests by forcing bidi workers onto streets and use the cover of business associations to sit in meetings with the revenue board.

As tobacco claims 161,000 lives each year and causes disabilities in hundreds of thousands of people, leaders of anti-tobacco organisations urged policymakers not to succumb to industry's manipulative and invalid arguments and raised the demands for tax and price increase in national budget.

Md Hasan Shahriar, project head of Tobacco Control in Progga, made the presentation. 

The panel of discussants includes Md Mostafizur Rahman, Bangladesh Lead Policy Advisor, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Md Shafiqul Islam, Bangladesh Country Advisor, Vital Strategies, Prof Dr Sohel Reza Chowdhury, Dept of Epidemiology and Research, National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh, Doulat Akter Mala, Special Correspondent, the Financial Express, Iqbal Masud, Director, Health and WASH sector, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and ABM Zubair, Executive Director, Progga. The webinar was also attended by representatives from different anti-tobacco organisations.
 

Tobacco

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus speaks at the Chatham House in London on 11 June 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing
    CA Yunus outlines challenges, opportunities facing Bangladesh at Chatham House
  • File Photo: TBS
    DGHS issues 11-point directive to prevent spread of Covid-19 in Bangladesh
  • A man in a car uses his mobile phone as members of law enfocement stand guard on a road after curfew, as protests against federal immigration sweeps continue, in downtown Los Angeles, California, US June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis
    Trump wants to 'liberate' Los Angeles, residents say 'no thanks'

MOST VIEWED

  • Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS
    Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon
  • A file photo of Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Ahsan H Mansur. Photo: Collected
    'I have no relation with this': Ahsan Mansur debunks Joy’s allegations over daughter’s Dubai flat
  • Faiz Ahmad Tayeb. Photo: BSS
    Import duty on raw materials for e-bikes, lithium batteries reduced from 80% to 1% in some cases: Faiz Taiyeb
  • Screengrab from video shows a group of local youths forcing tourists to leave a tourist spot in Utmachhra area of Sylhet's Companiganj on Sunday, 8 June 2025, citing allegations of obscene activities and environmental damage
    Locals declare tourist spot in Sylhet 'closed', force visitors to leave
  • Shakil Ahmed. Photo: Collected
    DU student allegedly hangs himself following threats over old derogatory comment about Prophet on Facebook
  • Photo shows the Land Cruiser Prado car belonging to former member of parliament (MP) Anwarul Azim Anar found in Kushtia. Photo: TBS
    Luxury car of ex-AL MP Anar, who was killed in Kolkata, found in Kushtia

Related News

  • FY26: Unchanged tobacco tax in proposed budget may cost government Tk20,000cr, say experts
  • Budget 2025-26: Tobacco tax can address revenue shortfall
  • Health adviser stresses need for tobacco-free nation to curb disease
  • CA for making youth aware of tobacco's harmful effects
  • Health Reform Commission to submit report after reviewing proposed tobacco law amendments

Features

Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

21h | Features
File photo of Eid holidaymakers returning to the capital from their country homes/Rajib Dhar

Dhaka: The city we never want to return to, but always do

2d | Features
Photo collage shows political posters in Bagerhat. Photos: Jannatul Naym Pieal

From Sheikh Dynasty to sibling rivalry: Bagerhat signals a turning tide in local politics

4d | Bangladesh
Illustration: TBS

Unbearable weight of the white coat: The mental health crisis in our medical colleges

6d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

US-China London meeting ends as planned

US-China London meeting ends as planned

41m | TBS World
When will the heat wave subside?

When will the heat wave subside?

1h | TBS Today
Covid-19 testing to resume at hospitals amid rising infections

Covid-19 testing to resume at hospitals amid rising infections

2h | TBS Today
Curfew ordered in downtown Los Angeles after looting and vandalism

Curfew ordered in downtown Los Angeles after looting and vandalism

3h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net