Dutch Mull ‘Australian’ Cigarette Prices

The Dutch government is considering increasing the price of cigarettes to between €30 ($31.96) and €47 per pack in 2040, reports the NL Times.

Inspired by the example of Australia, where a pack of cigarettes costs the equivalent of €24, Public Health Secretary Maarten van Ooijen hopes the high prices will deter people from smoking.

Currently a pack of cigarettes currently cost about €8 in the Netherlands. The government’s coalition agreement calls for an increase to €10 per pack. 

Scientific research reveals that financial disincentives to smokers work only when prices are raised substantially. A recent study by Maastricht University showed, for example, that half of smokers will quit only once a pack costs €60 or more. 

The proposed price hike is one step in the government’s plan to achieve a “smoke-free generation” by 2040, as set down in the National Prevention Agreement of 2018. The government wants only 5 percent of Dutch residents to smoke by 2040. Currently about 20 percent are smokers.