Tobacco use claims at least 442 lives each day in Bangladesh. The longer it takes for the government to amend tobacco control law, the higher the death toll from tobacco-related diseases will rise.
Against this backdrop, Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) and PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) sought cooperation of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to ensure quick passage of the draft amendment. Delegates from PROGGA and ATMA made such a demand on Sunday during a meeting with Md Abdur Rahman Khan, Chairman, NBR that took place at NBR HQ in the capital, it was said in a press release.
During the meeting, the NBR chair was informed that the economic toll caused by deaths and illnesses caused by tobacco use far exceeds the revenue earned from tobacco use. This is the context that prompts the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to take the initiative to amend and strengthen the existing tobacco control law.
ATMA and PROGGA delegates urged NBR chairman to do the needful to ensure quick passage of the draft tobacco control law.
During the meeting, the NBR Chairman said, “We will continue to provide all kinds of support in amending the law.”
Among the participants were Mortuza Haider Liton, convenor of ATMA; Nadira Kiron and Mizan Chowdhury, both co-convenors of ATMA; and Mehedi Hasan of PROGGA.
