British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BAT Bangladesh) is facing scrutiny for allegedly evading BDT 2.51 billion in VAT on tobacco leaf purchases during 2022–2023. The company claimed that 5.2 million kilograms of tobacco leaves were lost during processing, but the National Board of Revenue (NBR) found this explanation unconvincing. An audit conducted by the Large Taxpayer […]
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 […]
In Bangladesh, I believe that the first and most crucial step toward regulating water transport, terminals, and ports is to completely ban the sale and use of tobacco products in launch and ferry canteens. At the same time, public awareness must be strengthened by increasing the number of warning signages and by conducting regular announcements […]
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 […]
দীর্ঘ এক বছরের বেশি সময় আটকে থাকার পর ধূমপান ও তামাকজাত দ্রব্য নিয়ন্ত্রণ আইনটির সংশোধনী অধ্যাদেশ আকারে অনুমোদন দিয়েছে বাংলাদেশ সরকার। ২৪ ডিসেম্বর ২০২৫ তারিখে প্রধান উপদেষ্টা ড. মুহাম্মদ ইউনূসের সভাপতিত্বে অনুষ্ঠিত উপদেষ্টা পরিষদের বৈঠকে ধূমপান ও তামাকজাত দ্রব্য নিয়ন্ত্রণ অধ্যাদেশ এবং টেলিকমিউনিকেশন অধ্যাদেশ অনুমোদিত হয়। রীতি অনুযায়ী উপদেষ্টা পরিষদের বৈঠকে অনুমোদিত সিদ্ধান্তগুলো গণমাধ্যমকে প্রেস […]
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 […]
Nicotine Pouch Included Under the Definition of “Tobacco Products” Sushanta k singha: Dhaka, 24 December 2025: Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of cancer and other non-communicable diseases. Every year, more than 130,000 people in Bangladesh die prematurely due to tobacco-related illnesses. With the objective of effectively controlling smoking and the use of […]
গত ৩ ডিসেম্বর ২০২৫, সকাল ১১টায় বিএনটিটিপি আয়োজন করে ‘তামাক নিয়ন্ত্রণ আইন শক্তিশালীকরণ ঠেকাতে কোম্পানির প্রোপাগান্ডা ও বাস্তবতা’ শীর্ষক ওয়েবিনার। এতে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অংশগ্রহণ করেন বিশ্ব স্বাস্থ্য সংস্থা বাংলাদেশের সাবেক ন্যাশনাল প্রফেশনালস ড. সৈয়দ মাহফুজুল হক, ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ইনস্টিটিউট অফ হেলথ ইকোনমিক্সের পরিচালক অধ্যাপক ড. শাফিউন নাহিন শিমুল, ঢাকা ইন্টারন্যাশনাল ইউনিভার্সিটির সহযোগী অধ্যাপক বজলুর রহমান, এবং […]
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 […]
It was a fruitful workshop with 30 agricultural journalists, where I had the opportunity to share insights on tobacco control issues at a special session held on Wednesday, 5 November 2025, at the Bureau of Economic Research (BER), University of Dhaka. I presented the keynote paper titled “Corporate Aggression Fuelling Tobacco Cultivation: A Threat to […]
Charges have been framed against Managing Director Monisha Abraham along with four top officials of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB), a multinational cigarette manufacturer, for alleged violations of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. The order was passed on Thursday (October 16) by Razia Sultana, Chairperson of the Khulna Divisional Labour Court. The court also fixed […]
Authorities in northern Bangladesh seized 13 kg of cannabis hidden inside a British American Tobacco (BAT) truck transporting tobacco from Lalmonirhat to the company’s GLT (Green Leaf Threshing) factory in Kushtia. The raid was carried out by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-13) on September 17 at the Teesta Toll Plaza in Lalmonirhat Sadar, according to local […]
Bangladesh is among the countries with the most complex tax systems for cigarettes and other tobacco products. Its multi-layered approach categorizes cigarettes into four groups: low, medium, high, and premium. To safeguard public health, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) sets maximum retail prices (MRP) for tobacco products each year during the national budget. This […]
বিশ্বের যে কয়টি দেশের সিগারেটসহ তামাকজাত পণ্যের কর কাঠামো জটিল তার মধ্যে অন্যতম বাংলাদেশ। এক অর্থে বলা যায়, এমন বহুস্তর বিশিষ্ট সিগারেটের কর কাঠামো সচরাচর দেখা যায় না। বাংলাদেশের সিগারেটের ক্ষেত্রে প্রিমিয়াম, উচ্চ, মধ্যম ও নিম্ম এই চারটি স্তর বা সেগমেন্ট রয়েছে। জনস্বাস্থ্য রক্ষায় তামাকজাত পণ্যের দাম নির্ধারণ করে দেয় জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ড-এনবিআর। প্রতিবছর জাতীয় […]
‘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 […]
“Higher cigarette prices are good for public health, or if tobacco companies charge more than the official price, it’s not a problem.” This notion is common among some tobacco control advocates who believe higher prices reduce consumption. On the surface, this seems positive, but in reality, it’s a serious misconception. Raising prices without addressing regulation […]
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 […]
From Dublin: Speaking at World Conference on Tobacco Control (WCTC) 2025 on global tobacco control, Bangladeshi journalist Sushanta k Singha raised a critical issue facing his country: the widespread use of smokeless tobacco and the lack of dedicated resources to combat it. “In Bangladesh, we have 35 million tobacco users,” Singha stated. “Out of them, […]
Today we had a great discussion with Mr. Guillermo A. Sandoval, Economist at WHO Headquarters, on the weaknesses in Bangladesh’s tobacco tax structure and the steps needed to better protect public health in the future. Together with other tobacco control advocates, we highlighted recent progress on tobacco taxation, addressed challenges of industry interference, and discussed […]
As part of its vision to make Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040, the government has initiated amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control Act. Over 16,000 people, including more than 150 members of parliament, have expressed support for the draft law, while 1,100 individuals and organizations have opposed it. Investigations revealed that most of the […]
Journalist and public health researcher Sushanta Kumar Singha, special correspondent at Ekattor Television, has been honored with the National Tobacco Control Award-2025 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the second time, recognizing his outstanding contribution to tobacco control. The award was presented by the Health Adviser of Bangladesh during the World No […]
BER and BNTTP has jointly organized a training program on the `Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Taxation: Public Health Perspective’. These three days long training programs took place from April 27 to 29. Like the 5th cohort, the 6th cohort of the training program was conducted online because of the current pandemic situation. 23 participants including […]
Sushanta Kumar Singha[1] Executive Summary In Bangladesh, cigarette taxes were first imposed in 1992-93, and while the tax structure has fluctuated over time, a four-tier system has been in place since 2004-05. However, there are no clear guidelines for determining cigarette prices, which are set annually in the national budget, often influenced by cigarette companies. […]
An investigative report by Sushanta Singha has uncovered widespread corruption in Bangladesh’s cigarette industry. Manufacturers and dealers are charging one taka extra per cigarette stick, defrauding consumers of approximately Tk 20 crore or 200 million every day. Retail cigarette packets are supposed to be sold at government-approved prices. However, vendors report that dealers and manufacturers […]
EP35-436-24 Tier-based tax system benefitted tobacco industries in Bangladesh S. Kumar Singha,1 R. Huque,2 1Jamuna Television, Special Correspondent, News, 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 […]
Analysis of BATB’s 10-year Annual Report: A Review of Financial Anomalies, Corporate Social Responsibility and Interference in Policy in Bangladesh Sushanta kumar singha Abstract: Bangladesh is the world’s eighth largest cigarette market, with annual volumes exceeding 86 billion units and a growth rate of 2%. 1 One of the most effective ways to increase government […]
In order to protect public health in Bangladesh, the National Board of Revenue has taken a groundbreaking decision to increase cigarette taxes and prices in light of the FCTC. The National Board of Revenue has surprised everyone by significantly increasing tobacco taxes and prices. For the second time in the current fiscal year, the Bangladesh […]
Sushanta Kumar Singha, a well-known figure in the media and tobacco control, has significantly improved public health by revealing the deceptive practices of Bangladesh’s tobacco industry. His research and investigative journalism have not only revealed hidden facts but also contributed to important policy changes that are consistent with Bangladesh’s tobacco control priority. He addressed a longstanding misconception regarding the amount of Bidi workers in Bangladesh with one of his ground-breaking disclosures.Singha’s […]
