The health ministry has proposed that the finance ministry should introduce health tax in the forthcoming budget to control tobacco use.
A ministry official said that the 'the proposal for tobacco use control has already been sent to the finance ministry and the National Board of Revenue.'
According to the proposal, the ministry also suggested imposition of 2 per cent health tax on bidis and cigarettes to reduce tobacco use.
The proposal said that 57,000 people die of tobacco related diseases in the country every year.
Millions also become disabled because such diseases forcing the government to pay a large amount of money on health care.
The ministry in its proposal said that it was also necessary to increase taxes on all types of cigarettes and bidis.
It suggested that taxes on all tobacco items should be increased in view of the negative impact of tobacco on human health.
The proposal said that the revenue earned from the health tax should be given to the health ministry.
The money will be spent on anti-tobacco campaign and other activities to stop and reduce vulnerability of tobacco-related diseases.
The health ministry's tobacco control programme manager Azam-E Sadat said that the ministry had sent the proposal to finance ministry and the revenue board.
'People with low incomes spend a larger percentage of their income on tobacco than the people with higher income do,' the proposal said, adding that an increase in taxes on tobacco items can motivate low-income groups to reduce their expenses on tobacco.
Source: New Age
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