'Impose addl taxes on tobacco products to discourage sale'

29 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Anti-tobacco organisations yesterday demanded the government to impose additional taxes on cigarette, tobacco and tobacco-products to discourage their sale. The demand came from a sit-in programme organised by Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) at the National Press Club. During the programme, the speakers proposed to impose 79 percent tax on cigarette, 26 percent on bidi and 27 percent on all tobacco and tobacco-products. “The government will earn an additional Tk 903 crore if the proposed taxes are imposed. If the money is distributed among the poor tobacco factory workers they would be able to leave the profession and change their lifestyle,” said Ibnul Syed Rana, chairman of Nirapod Development Foundation, a member organisation of BATA. Appreciating the holding tax proposal over tobacco and tobacco products in the upcoming budget, BATA also proposed to impose supplementary duty on cheap tobacco products like bidi, gul and jarda. “The price of essentials are increasing day by day but the prices of tobacco and tobacco products remain unchanged. So, the government should add additional taxes on tobacco products,” said Syed Mahbub Alam, secretary of BATA. The leaders in the programme criticised the tobacco companies for spreading propaganda that increase in taxes will leave thousands of tobacco workers jobless. They also demanded immediate implementation of the government's three-year action plan to control use of tobacco products. Rafikul Islam Milon, chairman of Manobik and Chinmoy Mutsuddi, programme coordinator of Unnayan Samonnoy, also spoke among others.