Youth Demand Minimum Retail Price of Cigarettes to be Set at 9 Taka

Bojrokontho News ::

To discourage smoking among children, adolescents, and young people, youth activists have demanded that in the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26, the lower and mid-tier cigarette categories be merged, setting the minimum retail price of each cigarette stick at 9 Taka. They argue that this price increase would deter young people from smoking, potentially preventing approximately 900,000 premature tobacco-related deaths in the long term. Additionally, the government could generate an additional revenue of 20,000 crore Taka, which is 43% higher than the previous year.

This demand was voiced at a press conference organized by Ahsania Mission Youth Forum for Health and Well-being on Thursday morning (March 20, 2025) at the National Press Club. The event was chaired by Marjana Muntaha, the forum’s coordinator, and featured a keynote presentation by forum members Tasnim Hasan Abir and Tahmina Khatun.

According to the youth representatives, since the prices of low-tier and mid-tier cigarettes are currently close, consumers can easily switch between the two categories. By merging these tiers and increasing prices, low-income individuals and the younger generation would be discouraged from smoking.

Therefore, in the 2025-26 budget, they called for an increase in supplementary duty, setting the retail price of 10-stick packs at 90 Taka for the merged low and mid-tier, 140 Taka for the high tier, and 190 Taka for the premium tier. Additionally, they demanded that the price of each bidi stick be set at a minimum of 1 Taka.

If the existing tax structure on tobacco products is reformed as per their recommendations, cigarette usage could drop from 15.1% to 13.3%. This could lead to approximately 2.4 million adults quitting smoking and prevent around 1.8 million adolescents from initiating cigarette use. Furthermore, the government would generate an additional revenue of 20,000 crore Taka.

Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum President Rashed Rabbi, who was present as a discussant, stated that to protect future generations from tobacco’s devastating effects and reduce the number of new tobacco users, the tax system should be simplified, and tobacco taxation should be increased at a rate higher than inflation and income growth.

Bangladesh is the second-largest tobacco-consuming country in the world. However, the revenue generated from tobacco sales currently covers only 75% of the healthcare costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses. If the proposed tax increase is implemented, revenue from cigarette sales could rise to 68,000 crore Taka, a 43% increase compared to the current fiscal year.