Virtual human chain demands higher prices for tobacco products

People from all sections of society have demonstrated by forming a virtual human chain on Facebook to demand a rise in the prices of cigarettes and other tobacco products by levying specific supplementary duties in the national budget.

The event was held at 11am on Sunday on the social media platform, where participants uploaded their pictures holding festoons and placards with the demands and posted them with #RaiseTaxSaveLivesBD hashtags.

Anti-tobacco research and advocacy group PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) organised the event in cooperation with the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids (CTFK), a media statement from the organisation read.

The rest of the press release is as follows:

Anti-tobacco organisations demand that in the budget for Fy 2022-23, the retail price for the low-tier cigarettes should be set at Tk 50 for 10 sticks, followed by Tk 32.50 as a specific supplementary duty.

In the mid-tier, the retail price should be set at Tk 75 and supplementary duty at Tk 48.75; and in the high-tier, the retail price and supplementary duty for 10 sticks should be followed by Tk 120 and 78 respectively.

In the premium tier, the retail price should be Tk 150 for 10 sticks, supplemented by Tk 97.50 as supplementary tax. Accepting the proposals will encourage 1.3 million adults to quit smoking.

In addition to reducing annual fatalities, currently hovering near 900,000 including adults and youths, from smoking, it will help the country earn Tk 9.2 billion in additional revenues.

For non-filtered bidis, the retail price should be Tk 25 for 25 sticks, followed by Tk 11.25 as a specific supplementary duty.

In the case of smokeless tobacco products, the retail prices for 10g of jarda or chewing tobacco should be Tk 45, followed by Tk 27 as 60 percent supplementary duty.

For 10g of gul or snuff, the retail price should be Tk 25 and supplemented by Tk 15 as a specific supplementary duty.

ABM Zubair, executive director of PROGGA, said, “Increasing tobacco products’ prices by imposing specific supplementary duties would raise government revenues and reduce tobacco-related deaths and losses.”