Increase tax on tobacco
Speakers here yesterday urged the government to increase tax on tobacco and tobacco products in the upcoming national budget to safeguard a large number of people from the ill-effects of tobacco.
They were addressing a sit-in programme jointly orgainsed by several non government organisations including Barnali, Nirmol Foundation and WBB Trust in front of Chittagong Press Club.
Every year the country loses Tk 11 crore treating 12 lakh people contracting eight different diseases and sees 57,000 deaths of people aged over thirty, all due to the direct and indirect effects of tobacco consumption.
The speakers said according to a World Health Organisation study, the death rate caused by smoking significantly decreased after tax was increased up to 10 percent in high and low income countries.
They said around 43 percent (41.3 million) people in Bangladesh use tobacco while 74,000 hectares of land is being used for tobacco cultivation.
Prof Dr AQM Sirajul Islam Chowdhury; Chittagong City Corporation Councilor Gias Uddin; Tamroj Hossain; Hasan Mohammad Ripon; and Salauddin Kabir Suman also spoke. Dr Syed Didarul Munir Rubel presided over the programme.
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