A human chain was formed on a virtual platform on Sunday, demanding that the government increase taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products to protect the young generation from harm.
Participants from different parts of the country joined the event by uploading their pictures with festoons and placards on Facebook to press home the demand, using #RaiseTaxSaveLivesBD hashtags.
The event was organised by an anti-tobacco advocacy organisation, PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress), with support from Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids (CTFK), reports UNB citing a release.
In the function, the enhancement of the prices of tobacco products was demanded by imposing specific supplementary duties in the upcoming FY23 National Budget.
The anti-tobacco organisations demand that the retail price for the low-tier cigarettes should be set at Tk 50 for 10 sticks by imposing Tk 32.50 as specific supplementary duty (SD) in the next national budget.
The retail price of the medium tier cigarettes should be set at Tk 75 for 10 sticks with Tk 48.75 supplementary duty and that of the high-tier cigarette at Tk 120 with Tk 78.00 SD and the premium tier at Tk 150 with Tk 97.50 SD.
If the tobacco prices are raised at the suggested rates, it would encourage 1.3 million adults to refrain from smoking, to prevent the premature deaths of 445,000 adults and 448,000 youths in the long run, and help the government to earn additional revenue of Tk 92 billion.
Besides, the anti-tobacco organisations demand the retail price of non-filtered bidis should be increased at Tk 25 for 25 sticks with Tk 11.25 as specific supplementary duty.
In case of smokeless tobacco products, the retail prices for 10 grams of jarda should be raised to Tk 45 with TK 27 as 60 per cent supplementary duty. For 10 grams of gul, the retail price should be enhanced to Tk 25 with Tk 15 as specific supplementary duty.
"Increasing tobacco products' prices by imposing specific supplementary duties would raise government revenues and reduce tobacco-related deaths and losses," said PROGGA Executive Director ABM Zubair.