Women’s rights organisations have called for effective tax and price increases on tobacco products in the upcoming national budget for fiscal year 2026-27, warning that tobacco use has become a serious public health crisis in Bangladesh.
At a press conference titled “Women’s Budget Perspective” on Sunday, speakers said approximately 3.78 crore adults in the country use tobacco in some form, with alarming rates also among women and underage adolescents.
Citing research, they noted that high levels of nicotine have been found in the bodies of primary school children around Dhaka, indicating the severity of secondhand smoke exposure.
Approximately two lakh people die prematurely each year from tobacco-related diseases, placing severe pressure on the national economy, productivity, and healthcare system, they added.
Recent research shows that in 2024, health and environmental damage from tobacco use and production amounted to approximately Tk87,000 crore, while government revenue from the tobacco sector was about Tk40,000 crore.
“Considering tobacco solely as a source of revenue is not realistic. Rather, it has become a major obstacle to development, healthcare reform, and human resource development,” speakers said.
Bangladesh’s current four-tiered cigarette price structure — low, medium, high, and premium — allows users to shift between tiers instead of discouraging use, the organisations said.
Because price differences between low and medium-tier cigarettes are very small, smokers easily switch to cheaper alternatives. Smokeless tobacco products like jorda and gul are also very easily available and cheap.
The organisations proposed merging low and medium-tier cigarettes and setting the price of every 10 sticks at Tk100. For high-tier, Tk 150, and premium tier, Tk200. A specific tax of Tk 4 per pack across all tiers was also proposed.
For smokeless tobacco, they proposed setting the price of every 10 grams of jorda at Tk60 and gul at Tk35, with a 60 per cent supplementary duty and a specific tax of Tk2 per 10 grams.
For bidis, they proposed removing segmentation, setting the price of every 20 sticks at Tk30, with a 50 per cent supplementary duty.
According to research, if implemented, approximately five lakh adults would be encouraged to abstain from smoking, and about 3.72 lakh young people would be discouraged from starting.
In the long term, premature deaths of approximately 3.5 lakh people could be prevented. The government could generate an additional Tk44,000 crore in revenue, which could be used for healthcare reform and reducing out-of-pocket expenses.
Speakers noted that women and children bear a large part of the harm from tobacco. Secondhand smoke increases health risks for women and children, wastes family income on medical expenses, and negatively impacts nutrition and education in poor families.
“Increasing tobacco prices is not only a step to protect public health but also a social and economic protection initiative centered on women, children, and families,” they said.
The press conference was organised by TABINAZ members including Seema Das Shimu, Mariam Mannan, Parveen Hasan, Yasmin Jahan, Bilkis Akhter Bithi, Sharmin Kabir Bina, Mahmuda Khatun, Nigar Sultana, and Samia Afrin.
