Public Health on Top

Multinational cigarette companies have already launched a media campaign to influence the upcoming 2022-23 national budget for their benefit. Like previous years, the campaign this time is also based on fabrication and manipulation of reality, such as raising low-tier cigarette prices may increase the illicit trade of cigarettes; price hikes in the medium and high tiers may cause the government to lose revenues and so on. The ultimate endgame behind such a coordinated effort is to safeguard existing market shares and enhance further dominance in different cigarette tiers. Very recently, the association for local cigarette manufacturing companies raised demands to either create price difference with international brands at least by BDT 1 (one) or to preserve the market for low-tier cigarette brands altogether for Bangladeshi manufacturers. The association raised such demands during the 42nd meeting of the advisory committee, organized by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and attended by the finance minister and NBR Chairman. In addition, the Bidi Industry Workers Federation, a front organization of factory owners, has been meeting Deputy Commissioners of respective districts all over the country with a view to submitting a memorandum addressed to the Honorable Prime Minister demanding tax cut on bidis.
Spreading misinformation and confusion to impact taxation and price measures are well-known strategies of the tobacco industry. The policymakers must be cautious in this regard. This is because it would be impossible to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 as envisioned by the Honorable Prime Minister if we fail to utilize price increase, the most effective tool to rein tobacco use prevalence.