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Our policy on tobacco tax and price
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Increasing tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco control measures. Making cigarettes less affordable leads to lower uptake of smoking and increased quit rates.
Any reduction in cigarette prices initiated by tobacco manufacturers should be offset by tax increases. Price reduction undermines efforts to reduce tobacco use and address the associated inequalities. Tobacco control is central to any strategy to tackle health inequalities as smoking accounts for approximately half of the difference in life expectancy between the lowest and highest income groups, and even between areas of the same city.
However, price increase is not an isolated measure, it works as part of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy.
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