Health Development Surcharge Policy -2016

According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)-2009 here, almost 4 crores 13 lac people are using tobacco. It is almost 43 % of the total adults. Again 4 crores 30 lac people are the victim of passive smoking.  According to the report of World Health Organization of the year 2004 , in Bangladesh about 57,000 people die in a year, 3,82,000 people are disabled because of tobacco-related diseases. It is found by the WHO that almost 60% death here is caused by the non-communicable disease.

To cope up with such a heavy toll, Government has imposed health development surcharge on tobacco products firstly in the national budget of 2014-15 in finance law. It is activated from 1st July 2015. According to the law, health development charge is added to the tobacco imported product at the rate of 1 %.

Last 30-31 July in the national parliament and  in the assembly of south Asian speakers our honorable prime minister declared to take measures by the fund raised by the collected surcharge.  In the Dhaka Declaration of the South Asian Speakers’ Summit 30-31 Jan 2016, this thing is added. Govt. has pass rules to collected Health Development Surcharge (HDS), but there are no rules to expense the fund of HDS. By this way, a committee was formed in Health and Planning Ministry to utilize the fund. The committee submits a plan for its use and management.

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