Thrust on imposing higher tax to check tobacco

Business Desk :
Experts and economists urged the policymakers to strengthen campaign to convince young people from being fresh smokers to meet the goal of tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040.
They underscored the importance of the campaign to stop the chain of new consumers apart from a big push on taxation on tobacco goods further in the upcoming national budget.
They came up with the recommendation at a pre-budgetary discussion, organised by the Unnayan Shamannay, at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the city on Wednesday.
They suggested increasing the tax on tobacco goods on a large scale as the incumbent tax has not been adjusted with the inflation the country has seen.
They said prices of tobacco goods like cigarettes are much lower in Bangladesh than the global markets or the price is higher in Bangladesh than where the products are manufactured.
Prof Syed Abdul Hamid, teacher Institute of Health Economics of Dhaka University, said that tobacco consumption would not be cut by only imposing higher tax rather than non-budgetary measures.