Irish groups call for 90 per cent tax on cigarettes and manufacturing fee

The Irish Cancer Society and the Irish Heart Foundation want the tax on cigarettes to be increased from 79 per cent to 90 per cent, according to an Irish Times story relayed by the TMA.

In a submission to the Department of Finance, the organizations claimed that the tax increase would generate €150 million a year, money that could be used to help pay for smoking-related health costs and smoking cessation programs.

They dismissed industry claims that higher prices would fuel smuggling, but called for the improved targeting of smuggling and increased spending on prevention measures.

The groups propose that the price of cigarettes increases by five per cent a year over the rate of inflation.

And they recommend the creation of a new regulatory agency called OfSmoke, which would regulate prices and be funded by a fee on manufacturers.