Dhaka: Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said Bangladesh government will consider imposition of a ‘fat tax’ on fast food or junk food items in the next national budget.

The minister came up with the disclosure in Parliament while responding to a call attention notice placed by Independent MP Nurjahan Begum (Women Seat-42).

"We will definitely give focus on it during the preparation of the next budget. But the first task will be to define the junk foods and detect junk food items in the next two-three months," the minister said adding that junk food is not good for the health.

He said, "If I say frankly, I did not think of imposing fat tax on the junk food earlier. As soon I had received her (MP) notice, I started thinking that we can take measures over it."

He said the discussion over the next budget will begin at the end of the next month. "It'll be fruitful if we get list of junk food items. Because there are many types of junk foods in various areas. I think it is a good proposal (to impose fat tax on junk food)."

Nurjahan drew attention of the Finance Minister for taking necessary measures to impose 14.5 percent fat tax on fast food considering the consequence of junk foods over the public health.

In the call attention notice, the MP said some 62 percent of the country's people are affected by non-communicable diseases due to food habituation and lifestyle and the rate is on rise day by day according to the latest annual report of Directorate General of Health Services.

She said 39 percent of the world adult aged 18 plus were overweight and as well as some 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2014, according to the statistics of the World Health Organisation.

The risk of non-communicable diseases is going up with the rise of tendency to intake of excessive fast foods and junk foods alongside the processed foods. The non-communicable diseases claim many lives every year, she added.

Besides, the intake of excessive junk foods increase the risk of high blood pressures, diabetics and kidney diseases, she added.

As per a study, 12 percent of high school students are overweight and 6 percent of the students are suffering from obesity in the country, the MP noted.

Noting that 14.5 percent fat tax was imposed in Indian Kerala state, Nurjahan said the high fat tax can be imposed on different cold drinks, saturated fat foods, potato chips, chocolate, Pizza, burger and other food items that are responsible for obesity in Bangladesh.

If the fat tax is imposed, the intake trend of such food will fall due to price hike as well as the government will get revenue from the tax to spend for the improvement of the health sector, she said.