Tobacco tax hike essential to protect youth

Speakers at a discussion in Dhaka on Tuesday said raising taxes and prices on tobacco products is essential to protect young people and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The discussion, titled “The Necessity of Increasing Taxes on Tobacco Products to Protect Youth from the Harmful Effects of Tobacco,” was organised by Nari Maitree at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.

Engineer Sanzida Islam Tuli, a Member of Parliament from a reserved women’s seat, attended the event as special guest. She said there is no alternative to increasing tobacco prices to save the country’s future generations from tobacco addiction.

“In recent times, we have witnessed the strength of youths. The current government also has confidence in youth leadership. While young people are helping move the country forward, tobacco companies are pushing those very youths toward addiction in pursuit of profit,” she said.

She added that protecting public health would not be possible if tobacco companies continued to benefit in this way. The government is committed to tobacco control, she said, adding that higher taxes and prices in the upcoming budget could help advance that goal.

“I will raise this issue during the parliamentary session. At the same time, I urge the government to take strong measures on this matter,” she said.
The meeting was told that Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest tobacco-consuming countries. Among South Asian countries, Bangladesh has the highest tobacco use rate at 35.3 percent, compared with 28.6 percent in India and 19.1 percent in Pakistan.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017, around 37.8 million adults in Bangladesh use tobacco. Speakers also said nearly 200,000 people die every year in Bangladesh from tobacco-related diseases.
Citing recent research by the Health Economics Institute of the University of Dhaka, speakers said tobacco sector revenue stood at around Tk 41,000 crore in fiscal year 2024-25, while deaths, health damage and environmental harm caused by tobacco cost the country nearly Tk 87,000 crore annually.
For the 2026-27 fiscal year, speakers proposed reducing the existing four cigarette price tiers to three. They recommended setting the price of a 10-stick pack at Tk 100 for the lower tier, Tk 150 for the high tier and Tk 200 for the premium tier.
Professor Dr Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Director of the Health Economics Institute at the University of Dhaka, said the proposed tax and price increases could encourage nearly 500,000 adults to quit smoking and discourage more than 372,000 young people from starting smoking.
He added that tobacco tax revenue could exceed Tk 85,000 crore, an increase of Tk 44,000 crore compared with the previous fiscal year.
The meeting was chaired by Shaheen Akhtar Dolly, Executive Director of Nari Maitree. Members of anti-tobacco mothers’, teachers’, journalists’ and youth forums were also present.