Regarding the cigarette tax structure, the proposal to merge the low and medium tiers, and the kinds of measures that could be included in the upcoming budget, Deshkal News recently published my views alongside those of others. Here, I am further elaborating on the issue and presenting my detailed views. Regarding the proposal to merge […]
For the second time, I had the opportunity to exchange views on tobacco taxation with Dr. Guillermo A. Sandoval, Technical Officer (Fiscal Policies for Health), Department of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva. We also held detailed discussions on the proposed tobacco tax structure for the upcoming fiscal year 2025–26. Journalists […]
দ্বিতীয়বারের মতো তামাক কর কাঠামো বিষয়ক অভিজ্ঞতা বিনিময়ের সুযোগ হয়েছে বিশ্ব স্বাস্থ্য সংস্থা (ডব্লিউএইচও), জেনেভার টেকনিক্যাল অফিসার (Fiscal Policies for Health), ডিপার্টমেন্ট অব হেলথ ডিটারমিন্যান্টস, প্রমোশন অ্যান্ড প্রিভেনশন-এর কর্মকর্তা ড. গুইলারমো এ. সানডোভাল-এর সঙ্গে। আগামী ২০২৫–২৬ অর্থবছরের প্রস্তাবিত তামাক কর কাঠামো নিয়েও আমরা—বাংলাদেশে তামাক কর নিয়ে কাজ করা সাংবাদিক ও তামাক নিয়ন্ত্রণ সংগঠনের প্রতিনিধিরা—বিস্তারিত মতবিনিময় […]
As part of finalizing the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Ministry of Finance held a pre-budget meeting with members of the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) on April 25, 2026, at the Secretariat. The meeting was attended by the Finance Minister, Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, the Chairman of the National Board […]
Within a single year, the net profit of cigarette company BAT Bangladesh declined by 67 percent, amounting to a decrease of approximately BDT 11.67 billion. In 2025, its after-tax net profit stood at BDT 5.84 billion. This serves as a notable example of how increased taxation for public health protection can impact economic outcomes, as […]
এক বছরে সিগারেট কোম্পানি বিএটি বাংলাদেশের নিট মুনাফা ৬৭ শতাংশ কমেছে, টাকার অংকে যার পরিমাণ প্রায় ১১৬৭ কোটি টাকা। ২০২৫ সালে তাদের কর-পরবর্তী নিট মুনাফা কমে দাঁড়িয়েছে ৫৮৪ কোটি টাকা। এটি জনস্বাস্থ্য সুরক্ষায় কর বৃদ্ধির প্রভাব অর্থনীতিতে কীভাবে প্রতিফলিত হতে পারে, সদ্য প্রকাশিত বিএটিবি’র আর্থিক প্রতিবেদনে তার একটি উল্লেখযোগ্য উদাহরণ। গত দুই বছরে দুই দফায় […]
Under the pretext of increasing revenue, the government has opened up the production, marketing, and supply of e-cigarettes and vapes, which pose a serious threat to public health. By turning the Tobacco Control Amendment Ordinance passed during the previous interim government into law, while removing the provision that banned e-cigarettes, the government has taken a […]
After nearly one and a half years of delay, the outgoing interim government of Bangladesh passed the amendment to the Tobacco Control Act 2005 in the form of an ordinance, in which the use, production, and marketing of all types of e-cigarettes were banned. The ruling BNP government has now taken an initiative to turn […]
The current government is to turn the anti-tobacco ordinance, approved during the previous interim administration, into law. However, it is reportedly trying to do so by strategically removing the provision that bans the import, production, and sale of all types of e-cigarettes. This move poses a serious threat to public health, in my view. I […]
The tax structure of cigarettes in Bangladesh is more complex than in any other country in the world. Since the National Board of Revenue (NBR)’s revenue collection and monitoring system is not fully technology-driven, this multi-tier cigarette tax structure has become even more complicated. As a result, tobacco companies have more opportunities to evade taxes. […]
Being a tobacco control researcher and journalist, it was my honor and pleasure to join the orientation program as a panelist alongside three other experts. On 12 March, I participated in a panel discussion organized by PPRC for journalists and tobacco control advocates, where I highlighted how tobacco cultivation and tax evasion by the tobacco […]
At a webinar titled “Impact of a Strong Tobacco Control Law on the National Economy,” experts called for the rapid conversion of the tobacco control ordinance into a full law in Bangladesh to protect public health and strengthen the national economy. The webinar was organized by the Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP) on […]
Today, a significant research study has revealed widespread violations of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) by cigarette companies in Bangladesh. However, In 2022, I first reported on this practice in a story aired on Ekattor Television, produced in collaboration with the Bangladesh Network for Tobacco Tax Policy (BNTTP). That story played a significant role in […]
জুন মাসের প্রথম সপ্তাহের বৃহস্পতিবার সদ্য নির্বাচিত প্রধানমন্ত্রী তারেক রহমান এর নেতৃত্বাধীন বিএনপি সরকার তাদের প্রথম বাজেট উপস্থাপন করতে যাচ্ছে। নির্বাচনে ভূমিধস বিজয়ের পর সরকার দায়িত্ব গ্রহণের সঙ্গে সঙ্গেই যেসব বড় চ্যালেঞ্জের মুখোমুখি হবে, তার মধ্যে অন্যতম রাজস্ব আদায় উল্লেখযোগ্যভাবে বৃদ্ধি করা। বরাবরের মতোই জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ড (এনবিআর) ফেব্রুয়ারি মাস থেকেই ২০২৬-২৭ অর্থবছরের বাজেট প্রণয়নের […]
In the first week of June, on Thursday, the newly elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is set to present its first national budget. Riding a landslide electoral mandate, the new administration assumes office amid heightened public expectations alongside acute fiscal stress. As public health journalist Sushanta Singha’s analysis […]
After overcoming many obstacles, Bangladesh has passed the Tobacco Control Ordinance. To ensure its effective implementation, the Health Adviser has directed that a committee be formed by the next day to draft the necessary implementation rules. At the same time, the Fisheries and Livestock Adviser stated that government secretaries have been strategically placed on the […]
Increasing taxes is the most effective way to control the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products to protect public health. Among tax measures, the most effective is imposing a specific tax, because under an ad valorem tax system, producers can earn excessive profits. In Bangladesh, for many years, cigarette companies have flourished due to […]
জনস্বাস্থ্য রক্ষায় সিগারেটসহ তামাকজাত পণ্যের ব্যবহার নিয়ন্ত্রণের উত্তম পদ্ধতি হলো কর বৃদ্ধি। এর মধ্যে সবচেয়ে কার্যকর হলো স্পেসিফিক ট্যাক্স বা সুনির্দিষ্ট কর আরোপ করা। কারণ, এড ভ্যালোরেম কর ব্যবস্থার মাধ্যমে উৎপাদক কোম্পানি অতিরিক্ত মুনাফা অর্জন করতে পারে। বাংলাদেশেও বহু বছর ধরে এড ভ্যালোরেম সিস্টেমে কর ও মূল্য বৃদ্ধির কারণে সিগারেট কোম্পানিগুলো ফুলে ফেঁপে উঠেছে। এড […]
Following the President’s approval, the Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 was published in the gazette within six days of its approval. Issued by the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of Bangladesh on 30 December 2025, the amended ordinance came into immediate effect on the same day. The ordinance introduces […]
After being stalled for more than a year, the Government of Bangladesh has finally approved the amendment to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control Act in the form of an ordinance. On 24 December 2025, at a meeting of the Advisory Council chaired by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, both the Smoking and Tobacco Products […]
On December 3, 2025, at 11:00 AM, BNTTP organized a webinar titled “Tobacco Industry Propaganda and Reality: Preventing the Strengthening of the Tobacco Control Law.” The event featured key participants, including Dr. Syed Mahfuzul Haque, Ex National Professional of the World Health Organization (WHO) Bangladesh; Professor Shafiun Nahin Shimul, Director of the Institute of Health […]
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) and the Department of Labor (DoL) have filed three cases in the Rangpur Labor Court against British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh, alleging extensive violations of the Bangladesh Labor Act at the company’s tobacco factories in Rangpur and Gaibandha, in the northern part of the country. Report […]
‘জনস্বাস্থ্য রক্ষায় সিগারেটের দাম যত বেশি হয় তত ভালো অথবা তামাক কোম্পানিগুলো নির্ধারিত মূল্যের চেয়ে বেশি দাম নিলে সমস্যা নেই’। এমন একটি চিন্তা কিছু তামাক নিয়ন্ত্রণকর্মীদের মধ্যে পাওয়া যায়। যারা মনে করেন, দাম বেশি হলে মানুষ কম খাবে। আপাতদৃষ্টিতে বিষয়টি ইতিবাচক মনে হলেও বিষয়টা আসলে বুমেরাং হয়ে ফিরে আসে তামাক নিয়ন্ত্রণের ক্ষেত্রে। কারণ শুধু দাম […]
Abstract: S Kumar Singha,1 R. Huque,2 1Jamuna Television, Special Correspondent, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2University of Dhaka, Department of Economics, Dhaka, Bangladesh. e-mail: sinhasmp@yahoo.com Background and challenges to implementation: Due to influence of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) and other Tobacco Industries (TI), existing tierbased tax system benefited TI’s and tax evasion became major obstacle on tobacco […]
Hundreds of impoverished families in East Dumuria, Shyamnagar, Satkhira, are facing a new crisis—not from storms or floods, but from human activity. Soil from a canal dredging project by the Water Development Board has been dumped on homes, yards, gardens, and farms, forcing the demolition of some houses and shops. Contractors reportedly collected 4,000–6,000 taka […]
In Gabura Union of Shyamnagar, Satkhira, thousands of impoverished residents rely on a freshwater pond known as “Drishtinandan” for their drinking water. About a year ago, a purification pump was installed to treat water from the pond, but many families—unable to afford purified water—still depend directly on the pond for survival. This report is the […]
Despite a High Court verdict, Dhaka authorities have yet to free the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Memorial Park in Gulshan from occupation. Instead, the North City Corporation’s administrator has once again leased the public park to Gulshan Youth Club. On Saturday, environmental activists under the banner Maidan-Park and Waterbody Protection Movement criticized the move, saying many […]
