To protect public health and increase government revenue, six DO letters have been sent to the Finance Minister demanding effective taxes and price increases on tobacco products. These DO letters were formally submitted to the Ministry of Finance today on behalf of Members of Parliament.
The Members of Parliament who submitted the DO letters are Manjur Elahi, MP (Narsingdi-3), Md. Rabiul Awal, MP (Tangail-6), Mohammad Ali Asgar, MP (Khulna-5), Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, MP (Khulna-6), Md. Amir Hamza, MP (Kushtia-3), Rasheda Begum Hira (Women’s Seat-303).
In their DO letters, the MPs stated that tobacco use in Bangladesh is alarmingly high and is contributing to serious diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The current low price structure of tobacco products makes them easily accessible to young people and low-income individuals. Therefore, reforming the price and tax structure of tobacco products is essential to protect public health.
For cigarettes, they recommended merging the low and medium tiers, setting the price per 10 sticks at Tk 100, the high tier at Tk 140, and the premium tier at Tk 200. Additionally, they proposed imposing a specific tax of Tk 4 per pack of 10 sticks. Furthermore, they recommended setting the retail price of 25 non-filter bidis at Tk 30, the retail price of 10 grams of jarda at Tk 60, and the retail price of 10 grams of gul at Tk 35.
The DO letter also stated that if the proposed recommendations are implemented, it is expected that approximately Tk 85,000 crore in revenue will be generated from the cigarette sector alone. At the same time, nearly 500,000 adults will be encouraged to quit smoking, and approximately 372,000 young people will be discouraged from starting to smoke. In other words, this will both increase revenue and ensure health protection—clearly a beneficial outcome for both the government and the people.
