Call to raise tax on tobacco products

BARISAL, May 17 (UNB) : A human chain was formed in the city Monday to raise awareness about harms caused in human body because of smoking and consumption of tobacco products. The anti-tobacco human chain was followed by a rally. Several hundreds people participants in the human chain and rally. Speakers at the rally called on the government to revise Tobacco Control Act and impose a high tax on tobacco products in order to check smocking and consumption of tobacco product. Both the programmes were held in front of Aswani Kumar Hall, organised jointly by Youth for Excelent Society (YES), Bangladesh, Save the Coastal People (SCOPE), Grameen Development Society (GDS), Satota Development Society (SSS), Work for Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust, Alliance for Cooperation and Legal Aid Bangladesh (ACLAB) and a few other non government development organizations. Dr. Syed Habibur Rahman human rights activists presided over the programmes, attended among others by Isahuq Ali Mizan, Kazi Enayet Hossain Shiplu, Rajit Dutta, Rehena Begum, Mohsena Zaman, Abul Maksud, Akkas Hossain and other NGO and rights activists. Urging immediate steps to reduce tobacco consumption speakers said different independent surveys indicated that one in every four persons in the country smokes and the number of tobacco consumers is growing and most users start smoking at the age of 15-16. At present, Bangladesh is one of the highest tobacco using countries in the world as about 10 per cent of the world's tobacco users are in Bangladesh and the number of tobacco consumers increased by 7.5% in five years from 2004 to 2009.