Higher tax on cigarettes demanded

Environmental activists on Thursday demanded that the government impose higher tax on cigarettes than that proposed in the budget bill for the fiscal 2014-2015. Speaking at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club, they claimed that 98 percent of smokers in the country smoke cigarettes and the current tax of 17.72 percent will not come to any use to prevent smoking. The press conference was organised by Campaign for Clean Air, a non-government organisation, to press home their budget related demands, which also include increasing allocation for environment sector, according to UNB.