The measures were outlined in the proposed national budget for FY26, presented by Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed on Monday. The proposed budget has left the retail price and tax rates of all types of cigarettes unchanged. They further pointed out that the prices and tax rates of zarda and gul, which are smoke-free chewing tobacco products, have also been left unchanged. Reacting to the proposed budget, PROGGA’s Executive Director ABM Zubair said: “Tobacco causes the death of 442 people every day in Bangladesh. If the anti-tobacco tax reform proposals were implemented, tobacco use and related deaths would decline, and government revenue would rise.”Currently, 35.3 percent of adults in Bangladesh use tobacco.

Source: bd News24 June 02, 2025 23:40 UTC