Australian smokers will need to fork out an extra 12.5 per cent for their cigarettes from Tuesday 1 September as the tobacco excise increases.
Successive tax hikes from April 2010 have pushed the price of cigarettes higher, with today’s hike meaning a 25 pack of Marlboro Gold cigarettes will cost $48.50, while the average 20 pack will cost around $35.
Over the course of a year, that means a pack-a-day smoker will literally burn through $12,500.
The tobacco tax contributes around $17 billion to tax revenue, and according to Cancer Council Victoria, the taxes do contribute to declining smoking rates.
A study from the charity found that between April 2020 and April 2017, smoking in Australians 14 and over slipped from 17.87 per cent of the population to 13.30 per cent – or around 890,000 fewer Australians.
The tax hikes are estimated to bring in $4.7 billion for the government between 2016 and the final hike.