2024-06-07 07:38:59
Analysis and advocacy organizations Pragya (Data for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (Atma) stated tobacco merchandise would change into even cheaper and extra accessible if the proposed funds for fiscal 12 months 2024-25 is handed. It could even encourage poor and younger folks to make use of tobacco, improve tobacco-related deaths and sicknesses, and improve authorities well being spending. On the identical time, the federal government can be disadvantaged of the chance to earn extra income of Tk 10,000 crore.
In a press launch despatched to the media on Thursday (June 6), the 2 organizations stated these items in response to the instant funds.
In keeping with the round, within the proposed funds, the retail worth of 10 cigarettes on the decrease degree has been elevated from Tk 45 to Tk 50. That’s, the worth of every shalaka has been elevated by solely fifty paisa (11.11 %). Supplementary obligation has been elevated by solely 2 % from 58 to 60 %.
Within the proposed funds, the worth of 10 shalaqa cigarettes can be elevated from Tk 67 to Tk 70 (4.48 per cent), excessive degree from Tk 113 to Tk 120 (6.19 per cent) and premium or extremely excessive degree 10 shalaka from Tk 150 to Tk 160 (6 .67 %) has been decided. Supplementary obligation has been elevated by solely 0.5 % from 65 to 65.5 % in all these three tiers. The retail worth of jorda and gul per ten grams has been elevated by Rs 3 (6.67 per cent) and Rs 2 (8.7 per cent) respectively and the supplementary obligation has been stored unchanged in each instances. Once more, bidi costs and tax charges have been stored unchanged.
In keeping with the data printed on the web site of the Division of Agriculture Advertising, the worth of a number of important merchandise together with sugar, potato, flour has elevated from 40 % to nearly 90 % in 2023 in comparison with 2021. However within the proposed funds, the worth of tobacco merchandise has been elevated from 4.48 % to 11.11 %. The bidi costs have been stored unchanged. Consequently, tobacco merchandise will change into cheaper in comparison with on a regular basis merchandise.
Alternatively, for the reason that proposed worth improve is smaller than the rise in per capita earnings, all varieties of tobacco merchandise can be extra inexpensive. In keeping with Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics information (non permanent), the per capita earnings of the folks has elevated by about 12 % within the monetary 12 months 2023-24 in comparison with 2022-23.
The third report of the Tobacconomics Cigarette Tax Rating Card, launched just lately, has revealed a grim image of cigarette availability in Bangladesh. The Cigarette Tax Rating Card is created primarily based on 4 components: worth, availability, tax construction and share of tax in retail worth. Bangladesh’s general rating is only one.13 out of 5, which was 2.38 earlier. Bangladesh’s rating has halved primarily as a consequence of getting zero in accessibility. The tobacco economics staff at Johns Hopkins College’s Bloomberg College of Public Well being printed the report primarily based on information from 170 international locations.
Reacting to the proposed funds, govt director of Pragya (Data for Progress) ABM Zubair stated the retail worth and supplementary obligation of low-cost cigarettes, which occupy 75 per cent of the cigarette market, have been elevated marginally. A retail worth of at the very least Rs 60 and a supplementary obligation of 63 per cent will scale back the supply of this degree of cigarettes, defend the younger inhabitants and improve authorities income a number of fold.
Word that 35.3 % of adults in Bangladesh use tobacco and greater than 161,000 folks die yearly as a consequence of tobacco-related ailments. If the anti-tobacco proposals are carried out within the ultimate funds, will probably be potential to forestall the untimely dying of greater than 11 lakh folks, together with about 5 lakh kids.