The companies claim that if the country's tobacco tax and prices witness an increase in the upcoming budget, there will be a surge of illicit tobacco trade in the country which will ultimately cause a loss in revenues for the government, the organization said in a press release.
Unfortunately, some renowned economists and intellectuals of Bangladesh seem to agree with the false claims of tobacco companies, it said adding that prices of tobacco products are very cheap in Bangladesh which makes illicit tobacco trade even more unlikely.
A 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) report analyzed the average price of a cigarette pack containing 20 cigarettes in different countries and found out that average price of cheapest cigarettes is more than twice in India than it is in Bangladesh, Progga said.
“So, there is no scope for Bangladesh to experience the influx of smuggled cigarettes and the National Revenue Board should ignore the tobacco industry propaganda”, it insisted.