Tag: Bangladesh

Bangladesh Set to Ban Vapes

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Bangladesh is set to ban vapes and nicotine pouches, according to Filter.
The government has been considering a vape ban since 2019 when the U.S. e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury outbreak occurred—later determined to be caused by adulterated illicit products.
The health ministry has now drafted an amendment to Bangladesh’s Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act, which has been reviewed by the cabinet and must now be approved by parliament.
If the proposed ban is approved, anyone caught vaping, regardless of nicotine content, will be subject to a fine of BDT5,000 ($46). Sales, production, import, export, storage and transportation of vapes would also be banned, with penalties starting at a higher fine, three months’ incarceration or both. Larger scale activity or repeat offenses would face longer sentences.
The amendment would also ban flavors in tobacco products, increase the fine for smoking in public places and include further penalties for unlicensed tobacco sales.
Organizations like the Bangladesh Medical Association support the proposed ban, equating vaping with smoking cigarettes.
“A ban on vaping devices will have disastrous consequences for people trying to quit smoking cigarettes,” said Nafis Farhan, a member of Voice of Vapers Bangladesh. He attributed continued high smoking rates in the country to “limited availability of cessation tools, such as vapes.”
The proposed ban represents “a missed opportunity for harm reduction and a setback for public health,” according to Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance.
September 6, 2023
Higher Cigarette Taxes in Bangladesh

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Cigarette manufacturers in Bangladesh will likely pay higher taxes on gross receipts from the next fiscal year as the National Board of Revenue (NBR) collects more taxes to discourage the “health hazardous” business, reports The Daily Star.
The proposed tax increase is part of the Income Tax Bill 2023 introduced to Parliament by Finance Minister A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal earlier this month. The proposed bill will replace the current Income Tax Ordinance 1984.
The new bill would have manufacturers of cigarettes, bidis or handmade cigarettes, chewing tobacco and smokeless tobacco paying a 3 percent tax on turnover at minimum, up from the current 1 percent. It would also place a flat 10 percent tax deducted at source (TDS) traders supplying tobacco leaf to tobacco companies, replacing the multiple rates of TDS.
“We have proposed a hike in tax rates to discourage tobacco use,” said a senior official of the NBR.
“We appreciate the NBR for responding positively to the call of raising tobacco taxes by the social activists,” said Atiur Rahman, chairperson of the think tank Unnayan Shamannay.
June 14, 2023
Proposed Increase in E-Cig Import Duties

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Bangladesh Finance Minister Mustafa Kamal proposed a significant increase in import duties on e-cigarettes and their parts in the proposed budget for the 2023–2024 fiscal year, reports the Dhaka Tribune.
The import duty on e-cigarettes will be raised from 5 percent to 25 percent, and for parts of electric cigarettes, the duty will be increased by 100 percent. Previously, there was no import duty on the parts of electric cigarettes.
The minister has also suggested a 150 percent additional duty on liquid nicotine and transdermal nicotine.
The proposed measures aim to increase import duties and make importation of e-cigarettes and related components more expensive in an effort to regulate their use and reduce their prevalence.
June 2, 2023
BAT to Upgrade Bangladesh Factory

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British American Tobacco Bangladesh plans to invest BDT607 million ($5.65 million) in equipment and a centralized uninterrupted power supply device, reports The Daily Star.
In Dhaka Stock Exchange filing, the multinational company said its board has approved the investment decision.
The company will use the money to purchase winnower tobacco recovery equipment, a hinge-lid cigarette making and packing line, and a centralized uninterrupted power supply device.
The investment would enhance the capacity and productivity of the company and would be funded from internal sources and bank financing, the filing said.
May 12, 2023
Bangladesh Urged Against Interference

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Bangladesh should monitor the tobacco industry’s attempts to influence the formulation and implementation of graphic health warnings, according to a new study in the British Medical Journal’s Tobacco Control, reports United News of Bangladesh.
The study, “Tobacco Industry Interference to Undermine the Development and Implementation of Graphic Health Warnings in Bangladesh,” examines the tobacco industry’s efforts to “delay and weaken” the implementation of graphic health warnings in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Cigarette Manufacturers’ Association was the most active industry actor in “interfering” with the process, according to the study, while BAT Bangladesh was most active and the only company that acted alone to thwart graphic health warning implementation.
The study urges the government to adopt the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Article 5.3 guidelines and make their implementation a policy priority.
May 1, 2023
Vape Group Calls for Stakeholder Input

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The Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine-Delivery System Traders Association (BENDSTA) called on authorities to consult with all stakeholders before making any policy decisions on vaping, reports The Business Standard.
During a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday, the organization also called for excluding vaping and other electronic nicotine-delivery system products from the proposed amendment of the Smoking and Tobacco Products Control Act 2005, according to a press release.
The BENDSTA fears that a ban on vaping will jeopardize the prime minister’s vision of making the country tobacco-free by 2040.
Many former smokers who successfully quit smoking cigarettes using vaping devices might resort back to smoking traditional cigarettes again if vaping gets banned in the country, the organization warned.
Not only will this increase the number of smokers in the country, but the government will also lose the opportunity to balance its health and revenue agenda from an emerging sector, BENDSTA speakers said.
BENDSTA President Masud Uz Zaman criticized the country’s health authorities for not including the association as relevant stakeholders in the process of developing such a crucial policy framework.
“If any amendment is proposed regarding vaping, we are definitely an important stakeholder. It is unreasonable to not take our opinion and completely exclude us from the lawmaking process. Despite sending letters to the Ministry of Health repeatedly, they have refrained to sit with us to discuss the issue,” Zaman said.
Zaman stressed that these tobacco harm reduction products should be made legal and regulated sensibly to achieve the prime minister’s vision of a tobacco-free nation.
The proposed amendments called for a total ban on vaping products.
January 19, 2023
Shopkeepers up in Arms Over Tobacco Bill

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Bangladesh’s proposal to require all tobacco businesses to obtain licenses will adversely impact the livelihoods of small traders and hurt government revenue, according to critics.
Lawmakers are currently reviewing a draft law that would ban tobacco sales from makeshift shops, outlaw product displays and prohibit the sale of single cigarettes, a common practice in many low-income countries.
Muhammad Helal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, insisted licenses should be required only for manufacturers and warned that shopkeepers would take to the streets if the bill became law.
Meanwhile, economists predicted that the proposal would deprive the government of significant tax earnings at a time of economic hardship.
“The tobacco sector is the largest contributor to VAT income. Any abrupt decision without the consultation of the revenue board would surely backfire and nosedive revenue income,” an unnamed National Board of Revenue official was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
The National Board of Revenue earned nearly BDT300 billion ($2.91 billion) from cigarette taxes in fiscal 2021–2022—equivalent to approximately 10 percent of Bangladesh’s total revenue income.
Ahsan H. Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute, cautioned that the draft law would boost the illegal trade in tobacco products and drive up sales of low-cost brands at the expense of higher priced varieties.
“Since these vendors will not get the supply of top brands produced by the multinational tobacco companies, they will sell low-quality brands of the local companies that are least interested in complying with rules and regulations,” said Mansur.
Mansur advised government to instead focus on raising awareness of the health risks of tobacco consumption.
According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 44 percent of Bangladeshis used tobacco in 2009. Through a range of anti-tobacco measures, the government brought down this number to 34 percent in 2017. If the trend continues, the smoking rate could dip below 5 percent over the next 15 years to 20 years, according to Mansur.
October 7, 2022
Bangladesh Urged to Keep Vapes Legal

Delon Human (Photo: Taco Tuinstra)
Bangladesh must keep e-cigarettes legal if it wants to achieve its goal of becoming a tobacco-free country by 2040, according to tobacco harm reduction activists.
Speaking during a webinar organized by the Bangladesh-based Voices of Vapers and reported by The Daily Star, several experts addressed the government’s recent proposal to ban vapor products, heat-not-burn devices and other cigarette alternatives in a new amendment to the country’s tobacco control legislation.
Delon Human, president of Health Diplomats, said there is no evidence for the National Tobacco Control Cell’s statement that nicotine in vapes is more harmful than cigarettes.
“There needs to be a credible harm reduction strategy as practiced by many developed countries,” he added. “The authorities must consider regulating a safer alternative, such as vape, and make it accessible to smokers wanting to quit.”
Schumann Zaman, president of the Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association, said not recognizing vape traders and vape users as stakeholders will have major consequences as many of these vapers are using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.
John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, said vapes should be regulated separately because vapes and cigarettes are different products.
“Vapes are far safer and a proven method of nicotine-replacement therapy [NRT]. Regulating vapes will help smokers who are trying to quit have access to vapes,” he added.
“Countries such as the U.K., France, New Zealand and Canada have successfully lowered smoking rates by using vaping as NRT. Banning vapes will lower the number of smokers trying to quit.”
September 6, 2022
Push To End ‘Essential Commodity’ Status

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The Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked the Ministry of Commerce to remove cigarettes from the essential commodities list, reports The Business Standard. The removal is necessary to help the government achieve its “tobacco-free Bangladesh” objectives, according to the health ministry.
Any product covered by the Essential Commodities Act enacted 66 years ago can be freely promoted for wholesale and retail, and no restrictions can be imposed on the marketing of these products, even under emergency circumstances.
Workers in the essential commodities sector cannot strike, and no essential commodities can be hoarded. The essential commodities list was created when Bangladesh was still part of Pakistan. Over the years, new products, including palm oils, turmeric and cumin, have been added, but none have been taken off. Other products on the list include typewriters, 35 mm (cine) raw films and sewing machines.
The law permitted tobacco companies to continue operating through the Covid-19 pandemic, even as other factories, including in Bangladesh’s garment industry—the country’s main export sector—were shut down.
In 2016, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set a goal to make Bangladesh tobacco-free by 2040.
Because cigarettes are listed as an essential product, however, it is impossible for the government to fully implement the Smoking and Using of Tobacco Products (Control) Act.
Further complicating matters, cigarettes are the largest source of government revenue. The National Board of Revenue collected BDT278.3 billion ($2.95 billion) in value-added tax and excise duty from cigarettes in fiscal year 2021–2022.
According to the Bangladesh Cancer Society, the government spent BDT305.7 billion in fiscal year 2017–2018 to treat patients with tobacco-related illnesses.
July 28, 2022
Bangladesh Mulls Ban on E-Cigs and Pouches

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Bangladesh’ Ministry of Health and Family Welfare wants to amend the country’s tobacco act to ban e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches, reports The Business Standard. The proposal also includes new restrictions on combustible tobacco products.
Health activists have been calling for prohibition of e-cigarettes, which are not mentioned in the current legislation. The proposal would prohibit not only the consumption of vapor products, but also the production, import, export, storage, sale and transportation of e-cigarettes or their parts.
People caught vaping would face maximum fine of BDT5,000 ($53.80) under the plan, while producers and traders would risk imprisonment for a maximum of six months or a fine not exceeding BDT200,000 or both for the first time. The punishment would double each time the offence is repeated.
E-cigarettes started arriving informally in Bangladesh a few years ago and quickly became popular. As demand increased, British American Tobacco started producing and selling e-cigarettes in the market. Japan Tobacco is also reportedly preparing to market e-cigarettes in Bangladesh.
The health ministry’s proposal would also tighten restrictions on traditional tobacco products. Among other provisions, it includes a ban on flavors and an increase in the size of graphic health warnings to 90 percent of the packaging’s surface from the 50 percent required under current legislation. The draft also foresees new retail licensing requirements and limitation on where tobacco can be sold.
The health ministry has recently sent copies of the draft to stakeholders. The Directorate General of Health Services is accepting opinions on the draft until July 14.
June 28, 2022