Cheaper cigarettes will kill more Australians

The George Institute for Global Health is one of more than 30 organisations that have signed a joint statement led by the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH), warning that winding back tobacco excise would have serious public health consequences.

The statement responds to growing calls to cut tobacco taxes as a way of tackling illicit tobacco. It argues that cheaper cigarettes would mean more smoking and fewer quit attempts, particularly among young people, and that illicit trade is better addressed through stronger border controls, better-resourced enforcement and nationally consistent retail licensing.

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Decades of effective tobacco control, including taxes on tobacco products, have resulted in enormous reductions in smoking in Australia. Decreasing the tax rate would be a retrograde step that threatens Australia’s success in countering the aggressive and harmful tobacco industry.

By:

Professor Simone Pettigrew

Program Director, Food Policy

Read the ACOSH media release here.

Read the open letter here.