Desk Report
Publish: 16 Feb 2022, 07:32 pm
Cannabis || Photo: Collected
The Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem said that simply increasing tax rates and prices will not help to establish tobacco
product control and protect public health.
He stated that
neither the higher class nor the lower class will stop using drugs due to high
pricing and that he will favor cannabis use if it helps in the fight against
other harmful narcotics such as yaba, heroin, and phensedyl.
He remarked during
a pre-budget conversation with members of the Anti Tobacco Media Alliance
(ATMA) at the NBR Building in Dhaka's Segunbagicha on Wednesday that they would
rather save money by depriving their children of an education or a healthy
dinner in exchange for drugs.
For the past few
years, anti-tobacco organisations across the country have been vying for
increased tobacco prices and the NBR has been complying with the demands by imposing
additional taxes on related products on a regular basis.
Addressing ATMA's
demand for further raising tobacco prices, the NBR chairman said, "Tobacco
companies get happy when you people [anti-tobacco orgs] demand price hikes.
"We feel the
same. When [tobacco] prices go up, both protesters and companies become
ecstatic."
"But you
[anti-tobacco orgs] need to get this notion of 'hiked tobacco
prices helps control drug abuse' out of your heads. We [NBR] don't want to push
people towards the use of phensedyl and heroin by raising [tobacco]
prices," the NBR chief added.
He urged concerned
bodies to conduct studies to find out whether excessive price hike of tobacco
products is aiding the use of other harmful drugs in the country.
Speaking about
legalising cannabis in Bangladesh, he said, "I will be in favour of
cannabis use only if it helps to fight other harmful drugs such as heroin,
phensedyl and yaba."
Senior NBR
officials and ATMA members attended and spoke at the event.
Subscribe Shampratik Deshkal Youtube Channel
Topic : National Board of Revenue Cannabis
© 2024 Shampratik Deshkal All Rights Reserved. Design & Developed By Root Soft Bangladesh