Tobacco companies oppose proposed law amendments

British American Tobacco Bangladesh alleges the possibility of loss of government revenue from the tobacco sector due to the proposed reforms

Tobacco companies have objected to the proposed law reforms by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which aims to amend tobacco control laws to safeguard public health.

A draft amendment proposal has already been sent to the Cabinet Division for approval

However, British American Tobacco Bangladesh, or BATB, and Japan Tobacco International, or JTI, have written to the corresponding advisors of the law and finance ministries expressing their objection to the proposed revision of the law.

The companies also alleged the possibility of loss of government revenue due to the reforms.

However, according to the National Board of Revenue, or NBR, tobacco revenues rose by 17.97 percent in the fiscal year 2005-06 and 37.52 percent in the fiscal year 2006-07, after the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act was passed in 2005.

Moreover, following the 2013 amendment, tobacco revenues rose by 25.51 percent in the following fiscal years, 2013–14, and 2014–15, respectively.

ABM Zubair, the executive director of PROGGA, an anti-tobacco research and advocacy group, said: "The health ministry’s initiative to strengthen the existing tobacco control law aims at protecting the non-smokers from second-hand smoke and shielding the youth from tobacco's harmful effects. Therefore, the draft amendment must be passed immediately, undeterred by the ill tactics of the tobacco companies.”

In 2017-18, the toll of tobacco use in the national economy stood at Tk 305.6 billion, significantly exceeding the Tk 228.1 billion revenue generated from the tobacco industry during the same timeframe.