烟草在线据《独立报》报道编译　　6月27日，记者平台——反烟草媒体联盟，以及非政府研究与发展组织Progga要求政府重新考虑向所有烟草产品征税的提案。

　　这个要求是在反烟草媒体联盟和Progga共同在达卡记者联合会的VIP大厅举办的记者招待会上提出的。

　　反烟激进分子认为预算中提议的烟税太低，对于有效的烟草控制无足轻重，因此他们要求所有烟草产品的零售价格中包含70%的附加税。

　　反烟激进分子还说，孟加拉政府应该停止“做表面文章”，即提高不同卷烟的价格水平，却不提高烟草产品的附加税。

　　在一份书面声明中，反烟草媒体联盟发起人Ruhul Amin Rushd说，卷烟价格提升10%，政府实际上给烟草公司提供了增加利润的机会。

　　他说，卷烟价格提升的这10%并不足以吓跑吸烟者，另一方面，它的有利可图足以让烟草业赚取更多利润。

　　他还说，政府对向比迪烟这种价格最低的烟草产品征税没有兴趣，实际上表明了在比迪烟业背后，有一个强有力的游说组织在发挥作用。

　　Progga组织的主席Sayed Badrul Karim，反烟草媒体联盟工作委员会委员Anu Hossain博士、Shuchi Sayed博士和Mohammad Nadim博士也出席了这次记者招待会。

Bangladesh: Anti-Tobacco Campaigners Term New Tax Low

　　DHAKA, JUNE 28: Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA), a platform of journalists, and Progga, a non government research and development organisation on Wednesday demanded a reconsideration of the proposed tax imposition on all tobacco-made products.

　　The demand came at a press conference jointly organised by ATMA and Progga at the VIP lounge of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in Dhaka.

　　Terming the proposed tax (in the budget) too low and insignificant for an efficient tobacco control, the anti-tobacco activists asked for imposing a 70 per cent supplementary tax in retail price of all tobacco products.

　　The activists also said that the government should stop the 'eyewash' practice of increasing the price slabs of different cigarettes without increasing the tax on supplementary duty (SD) of the tobacco products.

　　In a written statement, ATMA convener Ruhul Amin Rushd said, by a 10 per cent increase in the price slab of cigarettes, the government actually gave the tobacco company a chance to make increased profit.

　　This 10 per cent increase on price slab of cigarettes is not significant enough to daunt the smokers; on the other hand it is lucrative enough for industry to make more profit, he said.

　　He also said that the government apathy to impose tax on Bidi, the lowest priced tobacco products actually indicates that a strong lobbying group is working behind the Bidi industry.

　　Sayed Badrul Karim, chairman of Progga, Dr Anu Hossain, Shuchi Sayed and Mohammad Nadim, members of the ATMA working committee were also present at the press conference.