INCREASING

TAX FOR
TOBACCO
CESSATION: A
POLICY BRIEF

Group 12:
Banothu Babu
Nikhilesh Nanjudaiah
Noora Shrestha
 • Prevalence: Around 35% of adults in Bangladesh use tobacco in some form, as
reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). This includes smoking and
TOBACCO USE IN smokeless tobacco.

BANGLADESH • Population and Distribution: Bangladesh has a large population, estimated at

over 160 million people. Tobacco consumption affects both urban and rural
areas extensively. Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco, is prevalent in
various regions, contributing to the overall widespread distribution of tobacco
use across the country.

• Demographic Impact: Tobacco use spans various demographic groups, impacting

people of different ages, genders, socio-economic backgrounds, and educational
levels.
 Impact, Efforts, and
Challenges in Combating
Tobacco Use
Health Impacts: Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable deaths and contributes
significantly to various health problems, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory
issues, and multiple types of cancers (lung, oral, etc.).

Economic Cost: The economic burden includes substantial healthcare expenses,

productivity losses due to illness or premature deaths, and other indirect costs to the
economy.

Efforts to Combat Tobacco Use: Bangladesh has implemented several control measures,
including public awareness campaigns, advertising restrictions, graphic health warnings
on tobacco products, and attempts to increase taxes to reduce affordability.

Persisting Challenges: Despite efforts, challenges remain due to the influence of the
tobacco industry, cultural acceptance, accessibility, and affordability issues.
 CURRENTLY UNMET NEEDS

• Challenges to controlling tobacco:

• - tobacco industry's influence
• - lack of strict enforcement of regulations
• - cultural acceptance of tobacco
• - accessibility of cheap tobacco products
• - inadequate awareness among certain demographics about health risks.
• A major research policy gap in Bangladesh about the imposition of higher taxes
on tobacco products is the absence of thorough studies evaluating the socio-economic
effects of higher tobacco taxes on various demographic groups, especially those that
are more susceptible (WHO 2017).
•Tobacco consumption behaviors have shifted from smoking bidis and smokeless
tobacco to smoking cigarettes (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2021).
 • Taxing tobacco more is a tried-and-true method of cutting tobacco
usage, but it’s important to make sure the policy doesn’t unfairly
penalize those who are already at risk.
Continue…. • Studies show that increasing taxes have been most effective in
lowering:
- total tobacco use
- stopping the initiation of new smokers
- decreasing tobacco-related fatalities.
• The outcomes include
- increased government revenue
- lower societal costs (from medical intervention and lost
productivity)
- lower costs for smokers who want to stop (Marr & Huang,
2014).
• To sum up, higher tobacco costs will discourage potential
smokers as well as help in reducing the number of people who
smoke.
 • Taxing tobacco more is a tried-and-true method of cutting tobacco
usage, but it’s important to make sure the policy doesn’t unfairly
penalize those who are already at risk.
Continue…. • Studies show that increasing taxes have been most effective in
lowering:
- total tobacco use
- stopping the initiation of new smokers
- decreasing tobacco-related fatalities.
• The outcomes include
- increased government revenue
- lower societal costs (from medical intervention and lost
productivity)
- lower costs for smokers who want to stop (Marr & Huang,
2014).
• To sum up, higher tobacco costs will discourage potential
smokers as well as help in reducing the number of people who
smoke.
 Conclusion:
• implementing tobacco control
policies to reduce the high rate
of smoking and minimize the
impact of diseases related to
tobacco use.

• The proposed policy is a vital

step in improving public health,
alleviating the negative effects
of tobacco use on society, and
developing a long-term
financial structure to address
the burden of tobacco-related
illnesses
References:
•Tobacco, N. (2021, November 16). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025,
fourth edition. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240039322

•World Bank Group. (2019). Bangladesh: Overview of Tobacco Use, Tobacco Control Legislation, and
Taxation.

•WHO. (2020). Encouraging health warnings on tobacco packaging. World Health Organization (WHO).
Retrieved December 3, 2023, from
https://www.who.int/europe/activities/encouraging-health-warnings-on-tobacco-packaging