BNTTP organized a workshop on National Tobacco Tax Policy with HEU -

BNTTP organized a workshop on National Tobacco Tax Policy with HEU

A workshop on National Tobacco Tax Policy Outline was organized jointly by Bureau of Economic Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy and Health Economics Unit on 13 August 2023 in the meeting room of the Health Economics Unit.

Dr. Md. Enamul Haque, Director General (Additional Secretary), Health Economics Unit presided over the Tobacco Tax Policy Workshop. Hossain Ali Khondokar, Coordinator (Additional Secretary) National Tobacco Control Cell was present as the chief guest at the meeting.

Rumana Haque, Professor of Economics Department, University of Dhaka presented the main article mentioning the need for a National Tobacco tax policy to protect public health and increase government revenue.

In addition, the former chairman of NBR. Nasiruddin Ahmed, Dr Syeda Nausheen Parnini, Director (Research, HEU), Consultant of The Union Md. Fahimul Islam, Md Saidur Rahman Khan, PM (GNJPU), HEU, HSD, Ekattar TV Special Correspondent Sushant Sinha Project Manager Hamidul Islam Hillol, Project Officer, Ibrahim Khalil and Research Associate, Ishrat Zahan Aishi from BER,  and representatives of Health Services Department, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, Ministry of Commerce were also present there and depicted their important comments on how to formulate a stronger tobacco tax policy.

In the chief guest’s speech at the meeting, the Coordinator of National Tobacco Control Cell (Additional Secretary) Hossain Ali Khandokar said that still National Board of Revenue still has the ownership of making tobacco tax policy and suggested all discuss how we can reach NBR easily.  He also emphasized the importance of increasing tax to reduce tobacco consumption and suggested increasing tax for the low tier cigarette which is almost 75% and imposing the specific tax on tobacco products to work on it.

In addition, he showed his apathy towards the special treatment in the name of social safety net for the labor those are connected with the production of tobacco. He told everyone to work jointly with courage and also proposed to stop selling e-cigarettes before it was too late.

Everyone in the meeting highlighted the importance of making an active tobacco tax cell and the digitalization system for marketing and monitoring.

Government as well as NBR should give importance on preventing smoking. NBR should take action in this regard on expeditious basis.

Md. Mahmodul Hasan, Deputy chief of Bangladesh Tariff and Trade Commission expressed some of his observation regarding the meeting and also suggested some of the research topics on which we should work on. He proposed mixed Tax rather than specific tax so that it can be adjusted easily.

  • To remove tobacco from the list of cash crops, a letter should be issued to the concerned ministry and necessary initiatives should be taken.
  • Need to motivate the farmers to convert to alternative farming
  • Need to register the employee for their resettlement
  • Price needs to be that much high so that people cannot afford it
  • And NBR should take into consideration knowing that price increase will not decrease revenue.
  • Our tobacco taxation policy is defective. Need to change of it.
  • Need to give importance on how to digitalized the way to monitor the existing banderol system.
  • Need to do lots of research
  • Tariff and other related commissions need to take the necessary steps and work together.
  • Stop selling single-stick cigarettes and e-cigarette smuggling
  • give importance to changing mechanisms.
  • Need strategy to reach MoF and NBR as the way we are reaching them is vital.

.

13 - 13 Aug 2023