Doctors and public health experts have called for a significant increase in tobacco taxes and prices in the national budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 to reduce tobacco use among young people and prevent the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Bangladesh.
At a seminar titled “Preventing tobacco use among youth and reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases” held on Tuesday at the National Press Club in Dhaka, the call was made. The Platform of Medical and Dental Society with technical support from the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh the event was organized.
NCDs account for nearly 71 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh, with tobacco use identified as one of the major risk factors. Speakers at the seminar said low prices and easy availability of tobacco products continue to encourage young people to start smoking.
Dr. Irfanur Rahman, General Secretary of Platform of Medical and Dental Society, presented welcome address at the seminar while Dr. Muntaha Farhan, Director and Head of Human Resources of the Society presented a keynote paper and Dr. Aruna Sarkar, Coordinator of Tobacco Control Program, moderated.
The keynote presentation revealed that around 37.8 million adults currently use tobacco in Bangladesh, while nearly 200,000 people die prematurely every year from tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco use among people aged 15"24 is 10.3 percent. A joint study by the University of Dhaka and Johns Hopkins University found that tobacco use and production caused health and environmental losses worth nearly Tk 87,000 crore in 2024, compared with government revenue of about Tk 41,000 crore from the sector.
The presentation proposed reforms to the cigarette tax structure, including merging low- and medium-tier cigarette categories, setting the retail price of a 10-stick pack at Tk 100, introducing a specific supplementary tax of Tk 4 per pack, and increasing high-tier and premium cigarette prices to Tk 150 and Tk 200 respectively.
Prof Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, said tobacco is a major contributor to heart disease, stroke, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. He emphasized that higher tobacco prices through taxation are essential to protect young people.
Public health expert Dr. Mohammad Mushtuq Husain said stronger tobacco taxation could increase government revenue while reducing consumption. He said reforming the multi-tier tax system could generate more than Tk 85,000 crore in tobacco tax revenue.
Md. Akhtaruzzaman, Director General (Joint Secretary) of the National Tobacco Control Cell, said increasing tobacco taxes and prices is among the most effective measures to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh.
Special guest Dr. Sakhawat Hassan Jiban, MP for Habiganj-2, supported the proposed tax reforms, saying they would discourage youth smoking and increase revenue.
In his concluding remarks, Prof Dr. Khandoker Abdul Awal Rizvi, President of the National Heart Foundation, said the proposed reforms could help nearly 500,000 adult smokers quit, prevent more than 372,000 young people from starting smoking, and avert around 370,000 premature deaths.
Representatives from different community including medical students, physicians, public health professionals and journalists attended the seminar.
