Taxation of tobacco products to protect public health is disappointing
Rezaur Rahman Rizvi
In her concluding remarks at the South Asia Speakers Conference on 31 January 2016, Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced to eradicate tobacco use from Bangladesh by 2040. The announcement was so timely and relevant that it was widely praised, including by all anti-tobacco organizations. The matter also sets a precedent in the history of the world. Because no government of any country has announced such a specific time frame for tobacco eradication before.
To this end, the government later included tobacco control in the Eighth Five-Year Plan. And so, the first way to ban tobacco is to reduce tobacco use among the public. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that tobacco and tobacco products are no longer readily available to them. Increasing the p...