Independence Award-winning student organisation Sandhani on Wednesday called for effective price hikes on tobacco products in the upcoming national budget for FY2026–27 to discourage young people from starting tobacco use.
The organisation proposed merging the low and medium cigarette tiers and fixing the retail price of a 10-stick cigarette pack at Tk 100, alongside imposing a specific tax of Tk 4 per pack.
It also proposed setting the prices of high-tier and premium-tier 10-stick cigarette packs at Tk 150 and Tk 200 respectively.
The demands were raised at a press conference titled “Effective Increase in Tobacco Prices to Discourage Youth Tobacco Use: Sandhani’s Budget Proposals for FY2026–27” held at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia Hall of the Jatiya Press Club on Wednesday.
The event was organised by the central committee of with technical support from the .
Speaking at the event, Sandhani adviser Dr Humaira Jamil Him delivered the welcome address, while the keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Mukarrabin-Haq Nibir.
The discussion session, chaired by Sandhani Central Committee General Secretary and intern physician at Dr Sadikur Rahman Ifat, featured public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain and Prof Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Epidemiology and Research Department at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute.
The keynote presentation said Bangladesh has the highest tobacco use rate in South Asia at 35.3 percent, with around 37.8 million adults currently using tobacco products.
It also noted that tobacco use among adolescents aged between 13 and 15 years remains alarming.
According to Tobacco Atlas data, nearly 200,000 people die prematurely each year in Bangladesh from tobacco-related diseases, accounting for around 18 percent of all deaths in the country.
The speakers said the government earned around Tk 41,000 crore in revenue from the tobacco sector in 2024, while health and environmental losses linked to tobacco use and production amounted to nearly Tk 87,000 crore — more than double the revenue generated.
The keynote presentation further noted that between 2021 and 2023, prices of essential commodities such as flour, eggs and powdered milk rose by 30 to nearly 76 percent, while tobacco prices increased at a much lower rate.
During the same period, prices of low-tier cigarettes increased by only 15.38 percent, high-tier cigarettes by around 11 percent and zarda by nearly 13 percent, making tobacco products increasingly affordable despite rising inflation.
Public health expert Dr Mushtaq Hossain said increasing tobacco prices effectively remains one of the most effective ways to discourage youth from smoking.
He said implementation of the proposed tax reforms could encourage around 500,000 adults to quit smoking and discourage more than 372,000 young people from initiating smoking.
“In the long term, nearly 370,000 premature deaths could be prevented,” he added.
Prof Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury said nearly one-fourth of the country’s population consists of young people, while tobacco use among those aged 18 to 24 stands at 22.3 percent.
“The easy availability and relatively low prices of tobacco products are encouraging youth tobacco use,” he said.
He also criticised the existing four-tier cigarette tax structure as complex and ineffective, saying consumers can easily switch to cheaper cigarette brands.
He added that the proposed tax reforms could generate an additional Tk 44,000 crore in government revenue, which could significantly support the public health sector.
In his closing remarks, Dr Sadikur Rahman Ifat said effective tobacco price increases would discourage millions of young people from smoking and help reduce non-communicable diseases and premature deaths in the future.
Members of Sandhani, anti-tobacco activists and journalists were present at the programme.
