All the products in the country are sold at the maximum retail price mentioned on the packet, but the tobacco companies are not following it in the case of cigarettes and bidis. NBR has ensured that writing the maximum retail price in the pact is binding through the Finance Act, but the sale at the maximum retail price has not yet been confirmed.
To protect public health and stop revenue evasion, tobacco control experts said there is no alternative to ensure the sale of cigarettes at Maximum Retail Price (MRP) as well as specific taxes on all types of tobacco products in a workshop jointly organized by Bureau of Economic Research of University of Dhaka and Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP) for journalists titled on ‘Specific Taxation on Tobacco Products’ at the meeting room of Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP) on 24 September 2023.
BNTTP Project Manager Hamidul Islam Hillol and Research Associate Ishrat Zahan Aishi presented the keynote speech on specific tax on tobacco products in the workshop. Sushanto Sinha, Researcher on Tobacco Control and Special Correspondent of Ekattar Television, resented a speech on ‘Tobacco Company Intervention in Policy: CSR, Myths and Reality of Tobacco Companies’ in the workshop.
They said that specific taxation should be imposed instead of ad valorem taxation to increase government revenue and stop evasion. They also mentioned that there are specific taxes on many products including TV, AC, SIM Card, brick and washing machine etc. It increases revenue as well as makes revenue collection easier. In the same way, specific taxation on tobacco products is possible. This will have a positive impact on protecting public health and increasing revenue.
At the same time, sale of cigarettes and bidi at packet price should be ensured. If selling at a price higher than the price mentioned in the packet, the concerned should be brought under the penalty. Besides, digital and automated systems should be introduced for tax collection and for market and sales monitoring of each product.
The focal person of the tobacco tax project of BER and the convener of the technical committee of BNTTP Professor, Rumana Haque in her welcome speech at the workshop, said that the active participation of journalists is necessary to protect public health and control tobacco. The tobacco company’s tactics should be exposed as well as the public should be made aware. At the same time, the government should come forward with help in tobacco control through new reports with various statistics and information. Because the issue is related to the public health of the entire country.
In his welcome speech at the workshop, advocate Syed Mahbubul Alam Tahin, technical consultant of the international organization The Union, said that increasing the tax on tobacco is the most effective measure to reduce the number of smokers. Journalists can play a strong role in raising taxes on tobacco to increase government revenue and protect public health.
In the workshop conducted, various media representatives of the country, and tobacco control experts expressed and highlighted their views.