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Advocacy

Various types of advocacy strategies are using including creation and dissemination of materials, creating access to the research and findings of the project and roundtables, and seminars for educational purposes on taxation and pricing.
Roundtables with policy-makers from different sectors of the government, officials from the country offices of the IMF, WHO and the World Bank, and the stakeholders to explore concrete policy options addressing the barriers to increase taxes in Bangladesh.
Seminars for discussing policy brief with decision makers.
Campaign materials like Policy Brief, Bulletin are planning to be published and distributed among the relevant stakeholders as a supporting instrument of advocacy.


Media advocacy
Both electronic and print media are using extensively for the purpose of advocacy. Strong and effective message on tobacco control and importance of increase tobacco taxation as a policy for tobacco control is disseminating in collaboration with media partners. In this purpose, effective tool for delivering the message on tax and price measures on tobacco products and short TV spots are preparing stage that telecasted soon in television channels. The message has given emphasis on the need for tax on tobacco and the benefits of tax and price measures for the overall economic gain which is doing targeting particular events like the coming national budget.

A regular television program is telecasting twice a month. The program accommodates talk-show, documentaries and awareness-raising session with general public and policy-makers, to make the program a direct tool for policy advocacy, important decision makers are invited as guest, in addition to others to discuss policy issues related to tobacco control through tax and price measures.

Direct lobbying
While no elected government (Parliament) currently exists in Bangladesh, the annual national budget adoption will go forward. Even if a parliament were in place the budget (and associated revenue) package will be developed by the Executive Branch and normally is not changed significantly by the Legislative branch. Tobacco taxation policy is determined under the Ministry of Finance and within the ministry by the National Board of Revenue. The Ministry of Finance seeks recommendations from other Ministries thus the Ministry of health is also significant. The annual budget fiscal year begins July 1st and therefore January-June is a critical time to influence the final budget and revenue policy. Activities under the grant are targeting for this timeframe specifically at achieving tax policy changes in 2009. Although policy development and advocacy can also be productive for more immediate 2008 budget. Direct lobbing activities will include the following:


One on meeting by the project leader, project coordinator and others with government officials and policy-makers.


Workshops with groups of government officials and policy-makers to explain and discuss the proposed taxation increase and address issues.
Collecting background information on previous budgets and taxation measures to apply context to prospective budget.

 

 

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