Australian Cigarette Prices Hit New Records

Australian cigarettes are 12.5 percent more expensive following a price hike on Sept. 1.
 
Successive tax hikes from April 2010 have made Australian cigarettes among the most expensive in the world. Following the most recent increase, a 25-stick pack of Marlboro Gold cigarettes now costs AUD48.50 ($35.63) while the average 20-pack costs around AUD35.
 
That means a pack-a-day smoker will spend AUD12,500 over the course of a year.
 
Australian tobacco taxes generate around AUS17 billion per year in tax revenue. According to Cancer Council Victoria, they also contribute to declining smoking rates.
 
Smoking among Australians aged 14 and over declined from 17.87 percent of the population to 13.3 percent between April 2020 and April 2017, according to the charity.
 
The Covid-19 crisis could drive smoking lower still. Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed that four times as many smokers have tried to quit during the pandemic amid concerns that smokers will be hit harder by the virus should they contract it.