Dhaka, March 14 -- Tobacco control advocates have called for setting a minimum price of Tk 9 per cigarette stick in the lower and middle tiers, saying the current pricing system is not enough to desirably curb smoking.

Both tiers should be merged into a new category to set the minimum price per stick, they said at a workshop in Dhaka on Wednesday, adding that without this measure, it would not be possible to reduce cigarette consumption to a desired level.

The complex multi-tiered ad valorem tax system has led to only a 7.3 per cent increase in cigarette prices, which is negligible compared to the rising costs of other essential goods, speakers noted.

Cigarette sales have increased at an average rate of 4.0 per cent per year, while mid...