Further tobacco tax suggested
NBR Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid speaks at a roundtable on 'Tobacco Economics' in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: STAR
A demand for a further hike in taxes on tobacco and related products was raised at a roundtable in Dhaka yesterday.
The government has to spend a huge amount of money for smoking-related patients, and it experiences a loss of millions of human hours due to this illness, speakers said.
Unnayan Shamannay, a local think tank, organised the discussion on 'Tobacco Economics' at the Cirdap conference centre.
Moderated by Dr Atiur Rahman, chairman of the Unnayan Shamannay, it was attended as the chief guest by Muhammad Abdul Mazid, chairman of the National Board of Revenue.
Mazid said the revenue policy underlining high tax on tobacco was set not to earn more, but to discourage the smoking habit.
He said a social movement is essential to motivate smokers, as the habit of smoking could hardly be checked unless they voluntarily give it up.
Quazi Faruque, general secretary of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), expressed concerns over the damage caused to the soils under tobacco cultivation.
He suggested that the effect of tobacco on land fertility should be examined side by side assessing its health impacts.
He urged the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to come forward in creating awareness against tobacco and sought cooperation from media to stop smoking.
Research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr SM Zulfiqar Ali made a presentation at the function.
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