Public Health on Top

Like past years, the proposed budget for 2017- 18 FY has provided benefits to multinational tobacco company British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB). The budget did not propose to hike taxes on high and premium slab cigarettes whereas BATB is operating majority of its products in this two segment (10 among 15 of BATB brands belong to high and premium slab). Remarkably, the Finance Minister, in various forums, has suggested discussing the tobacco taxation issue with Policy Research Institute (PRI), a private research organization. He also advised the same to the anti-tobacco activists centering the budget of 2016 -17 FY. But the recommendation from the Finance Minister to consult with PRI each year is not comprehensible. However, the relation of PRI with BATB is older. The organization published a research book titled “Tobacco Cultivation: An Assessment of Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts” in 2012 with the sponsorship of BATB that dealt with the positive socioeconomic and environmental impacts of tobacco cultivation. Therefore, analyzing the benefits of BATB in budget each year, it appears that the company might have become able to utilize its relation with PRI in this proposed budget as well. But after the FCTC Article 5.3, the government cannot take any advice or recommendation on tobacco control issues from any of the person or organization that is linked with tobacco company.
On the other side, to protect the local tobacco companies, the low tier of cigarettes has been split in to two new tiers – local brand and international brand in the proposed budget. The price for local brand cigarettes (per 10 sticks) has been set to Tk 27 which was Tk 23 earlier while the price is Tk 35 for the international brand. BATB despite being an international organization, it is advertising on mass media that its low brand cigarettes will be sold at Tk 27 like the local brands instead of Tk 35.
By the same time, to manipulate the budget, the bidi factory owners are holding human chain across the country and propagating misleading information in the name of protection of the right of their workers. Bidi Industry Owners’ Association have appealed to the Prime Minister through mass media advertisement to reduce tax on bidi. If the taxation process is barred in this way, the pledge of the Premier to make the country tobacco-free by 2040 and reaching the SDG goals will turn in to failure.