Govt committed to taking effective tobacco control measures: Ziauddin Hyder

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Affairs Dr S. M. Ziauddin Hyder on Wednesday said that the government is committed to taking effective tobacco control measures, including increasing tobacco product prices in the budget to protect public health, as this was one of the key commitments in the current government's election manifesto.

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to protecting children, adolescents and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine. He stated that the period leading up to the finalisation of the FY2026-27 national budget presents an important opportunity to take effective measures to protect public health.

He made these remarks at a seminar titled "Protecting Public Health from the Harmful Effects of Tobacco: Challenges and Way Forward", jointly organised by the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) and the Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP) at the BMA Auditorium in Dhaka.

Presenting the keynote paper, Zeba Afroza said that public health and tobacco control experts had proposed reducing the existing four-tier cigarette price structure to three tiers in order to simplify tax administration. Since the prices of low- and medium-tier cigarettes are very similar, smokers can easily switch to a cheaper alternative when the price of one tier increases. She noted that, if implemented, this proposal would make tobacco products less affordable, particularly for young people.

Dr Shafiun Nahin, Director of the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka, said that the proposed budget includes only a marginal increase in cigarette prices. The price of a 10-stick pack of low-tier cigarettes has been increased from Tk 60 to Tk 62, even though nearly 75 per cent of all cigarettes sold in the market belong to this tier. As a result, an increase of only Tk 2 per pack is insufficient to discourage tobacco use, especially when inflation remains above 9 per cent.

He further explained that the retail price of a low-tier cigarette under the proposed budget is Tk 6.2 per stick, whereas these cigarettes are already being sold at Tk 7 per stick at retail outlets across the country. Consequently, tobacco companies stand to gain an additional profit of approximately Tk 0.8 per stick, all of which would remain untaxed.

Dr Nahin added that Bangladesh sold 68.89 billion low-tier cigarettes during FY2023-24. Based on an additional profit of Tk 0.8 per stick, tobacco companies could earn approximately Tk 55.12 billion (Tk 5,512 crore) in extra profits. This means that the government would lose a substantial amount of potential tax revenue.

The speakers thanked the government for amending the tobacco control law and expressed optimism that, in line with the commitments outlined in the election manifesto, the government would take appropriate measures to strengthen tobacco control and protect future generations from the harms of tobacco use.

In his remarks as the lead discussant, Dr Md. Zahirul Islam, Secretary General of DAB, stated that the proposed budget imposes taxes on nicotine pouches, nicotine granules and Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs). However, taxing these products effectively legitimises them in the market. This could facilitate the expansion of these new nicotine products and increase the risk of nicotine addiction, particularly among youth and adolescents.

Expressing DAB's commitment to working with DORP on tobacco control initiatives in the long term, Professor Dr Harun Al Rashid, President of DAB, urged the government to reconsider the tax and price structure of low-tier cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products in the FY2026-27 national budget. He noted that if the recommendations of public health and tobacco control experts are implemented, the government could generate approximately Tk 44 billion in additional revenue. At the same time, nearly 500,000 adult smokers would be encouraged to quit smoking, 372,000 young people would be prevented from initiating smoking, and nearly 400,000 premature deaths could be averted in the long term.

The seminar was opened with welcome remarks by AHM Noman, Founder and CEO of DORP, and moderated by Mohammad Zobair Hasan, Deputy Executive Director of the organisation. Among those present were Iqbal Masud, Director of the Health Sector at Dhaka Ahsania Mission; Professor Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Epidemiology and Research Department at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute; members of DAB; and youth representatives Ratri, Sandhi and others.