Dhaka, June 1 -- DESPITE more tax on cigarettes being slapped every year in the budget, it is disconcerting to note that smoking is not reducing as expected with an increase in the sale of cigarettes. It was thought that the statutory warning on the cigarette packs that smoking is dangerous for health will have a tremendous discouraging impact on the smokers, but in reality this has not been the case, but the warning must be there.
As smoking is increasing, along with it tobacco cultivation is also increasing. The anti-tobacco organisations are of the opinion that since the rate at which cigarettes are taxed does not discourage the smokers to quit the dangerous habit. They suggested, and rightly at that, a planned tax increase with public ...