Anti-tobacco activists demand larger tobacco tax
Around 100 anti-tobacco activists all around the country, held a virtual human being chain today (May 5) demanding imposition of specific tax on cigarettes and all the tobacco products.
Activists took the social media site Facebook to level their demand.
They posted their pictures with slogan “Tamak ponne barle kor-bachbe torun desh hobe sonirvor” and “Dam baran tamaker jibon bachan amader” on the social media handles on 5 May at 12 p.m. utilizing a hashtag #raisetaxsavelives. The demand of this human being chain was to raise tax on tobacco merchandise to make them unaffordable for adolescent generation and people with lower income.
Chairman of Shastho Surokkha Base and Bangladesh Parliamentary Forum for Health and Well Being, Professor Dr Habibe Millat MP participated found in the virtual human being chain. Regarding to him “There are no alternatives to regulate tobacco for the betterment of open public health. Our economy will get more robust once we handle the tobacco hazards. It is important for all of us to attain the goal of earning Bangladesh tobacco no cost by 2040 as promised by our honorable primary minister. Imposing specific tax on tobacco will come to be a powerful measure for that”.
Non-government corporation Unnayan Shamannay's Chairman and Ex-governor of BB Dr. Atiur Rahman opined that; we should make tobacco items unavailable by imposing specific tax on them.
“We need to take necessary methods in the shortest period possible to create tobacco goods unaffordable to the persons with low income. Only then we are able to achieve the purpose of making Bangladesh tobacco no cost by 2040, a aim for set by our Prime minister” he said.
Prominent journalists, member of parliaments, economists, physicians took component in the event.
Anti-tobacco advocate organizations just like Dhaka Ahsania Mission, VOICE, National Heart Base, Sastho Surokkha Base, Unnayan Samannay, DORP and Progga jointly arranged this program with the tech support team from the 'Tobacco Free of charge We'.
Anti-tobacco corporations said that tobacco tax and price tag raise will motivate 11 lakh grown-ups to give up smoking. Over time we will be able to prevent untimely loss of life of 3 lakh 90 thousand smokers and 4 lakh youngsters. It'll enable the government to earn more revenue of Tk 3 thousand 400 crore.
Additionally, increasing the price of bidi and smokeless tobacco by simply imposing specific tax could keep people of low income group from smoking. Since they are usually the ones that have problems with the most well being burden due to tobacco.
