According to a report in the Business Mail on May 25, anti-tobacco organizations are calling on Bangladesh to raise cigarette prices in the fiscal year 2024-2025.
Despite the significant increase in prices of essential goods, the price of cigarettes in Bangladesh has remained relatively stable. Over the past five fiscal years, the price of lower-end cigarettes has only increased by 10 BDT (about 0.09 USD), with an average annual increase of 2 BDT. Since 2019-2020, the price of these cigarettes has only increased once, by 1 BDT.
Critics argue that the failure to adjust cigarette prices for inflation makes it easier and more appealing for low-income groups to smoke. Currently, low-priced cigarettes account for 80% of the entire cigarette market. Experts recommend increasing the price of a 10-pack of low-cost cigarettes from 45 BDT to 60 BDT. They believe that adjusting prices for inflation would result in the government's revenue increasing by approximately 100 billion BDT.
Professor Nasrin Sultana from the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh stated that the low-income population is the most susceptible to malnutrition. Increasing the price of low-grade cigarettes can not only reduce the number of smokers in this group, thus lowering health risks, but also increase tax revenue even during economic downturns.
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