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'Tobacco law will have a chance after budget'

'Tobacco law will have a chance after budget'
Thu, May 17th, 2012 3:56 pm BdST

Dhaka, May 17 (bdnews24.com) – The amended tobacco control law will be passed after the budget session, health minister says acknowledging that finance ministry holds it back.

"It is stuck with the finance ministry," A F M Ruhal Haque said while launching a report in the capital on Thursday.

"They are afraid of losing revenue," he said. "Powerful tobacco proponents made them understand it."

Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, economist Abul Barkat in a report on the economics of tobacco showed increased tobacco taxation would increase government's revenue earnings decreasing tobacco consumption in Bangladesh where tobacco is the cheapest in the world.

"We have to enforce stricter law," Haque said.

The minister said he hoped that it would be passed after overcoming all 'hurdles'.

The ministry of health started amending the 2005 tobacco control act over two and a half years ago to give it more teeth to deter people from the habit as study showed more than 43 percent Bangladeshi aged 15 and above consume tobacco in any form.

But bdnews24.com earlier reported that finance ministry recalled the draft when the health ministry was about to place it in the cabinet meeting on Dec 19, 2011.

The health ministry finalised the draft after getting clearance from the finance ministry and other organisations.

The draft of tobacco control law has incorporated smokeless tobacco such as zarda, sada pata and gul as tobacco products and suggested pictorial health warnings covering 50 percent of cigarette packets to discourage smoking.

Penalty has been increased from Tk 50 to Tk 500 for individuals who violate the law, while companies will have to pay up to Tk 1 million for any breach, according to the draft.

The finance minister will present the budget for 2012-13 fiscal in the parliament on June 7.