Activists say tax increase insufficient

Environmental activists in Bangladesh yesterday demanded that the government impose a higher tax on cigarettes than has been proposed in the budget bill for fiscal 2014–2015, according to a story in The Financial Express quoting a UNB News Agency report.

Speaking during a press conference, the activists said that 98 percent of smokers in the country smoked cigarettes, and the “current tax of 17.72 percent” would not be useful in preventing smoking.

The press conference was organized by the Campaign for Clean Air, a nongovernment organization, to press home its budget-related demands, which include an increase in funding for the environment sector.