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DHAKA, Jan 21, 2025 (BSS) - Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said that taxation is one of the most effective methods to stop tobacco consumption but it is not the only method.
The adviser said this while addressing a seminar on tobacco at Bishwa Shahithyo Kendra here.
Referring to a research, Farida Akhter said that 35.3 percent people in the country use tobacco, which means that one in every three persons is a smoker. This picture is both terrifying and worrying, she added.
She said that although the target of SDG 3.9 calls for a significant reduction in tobacco use to protect public health, the Tobacco Control Act needs to be amended and implemented immediately to make it effective by 2030.
The adviser said that the number of tobacco users will decrease if the National Board of Revenue imposes higher taxes. Tobacco companies are threatening to reduce revenue, she said, adding that but many studies have observed that tobacco use will decrease slightly but revenue will increase.
Moderated by Zahid Rahman, Senior Program Coordinator of Development Coordination, the event was attended by CTFK-Bangladesh Lead Policy Advisor Md. Mostafizur Rahman, BIDS Research Director Dr. S. M. Zulfikar Ali, and Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spokesperson Umama Fatema.
