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 […]