Health, social costs outweigh tax revenue from tobacco

The revenue generated by taxing tobacco industries is not cost effective for Bangladesh as it is always outweighed by health and social costs, anti-tobacco campaigners told a discussion yesterday.

"Increase tax on tobacco. It may reduce healthcare spending," said Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. Increasing tax will reduce consumption and revenue, but the resulting drop in healthcare cost would benefit the state, she added.

Shirin also hailed the government for enacting a tobacco control act butemphasised on enforcing it.

MANAS organised the discussion marking World No Tobacco Day in the capital's Bangladesh National Museum.

Noted academician and essayist Dr Anisuzzaman said quitting tobacco was difficult once a person became addicted.

MANAS founding chairman Dr Arup Ratan Choudhury said Bangladesh was among the top 10 countries with the highest number of smokers.

"Our annual expenditure for battling tobacco related diseases is about Tk 5,000 crore which is more than twice of what the tobacco companies give as revenue," he said.

Urging the authorities to curb tobacco farming, he cited the Department of Agriculture Extension's data, saying tobacco was cultivated in about 1.08 lakh hectares of farmland last year, a significant rise from 70,000 hectares in 2013.