Cigarette price increase – how much does a pack cost in the UK now and why are there calls for a price rise?

SMOKING is almost as bad for your wallet as it is for your lungs.

But that hasn’t stopped calls for the cost of a pack of fags to go even higher in a bid to curb the number of smokers. Here’s the lowdown on the calls for a price hike.

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How much does a pack of cigarettes cost in the UK?

The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the UK soared to over a tenner last year.

In the 2018 budget the then Chancellor Philip Hammond whacked on an extra 28p to a pack of 20 cigarettes putting the average price at £10.80.

That meant a 20-a-day smoker keeping up their habit saw themselves an extra £178.85 out of pocket over the course of a year.

Packets of ten cigarettes have been banned since May 2017.

But some campaign groups worry another duty increase will impoverish hard-up smokers and push them towards buying illegal cigarettes.

Cigarette packets now come in plain packaging and with strong health warningsCredit: Getty – Contributor

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, told the The Sun: “Tobacco duty has been rising for years as a result of the so-called tobacco tax escalator with the result that over 80 per cent of the cost of tobacco now goes to government.

“A further increase in tobacco duty will once again hit those who can least afford it, the elderly and the low paid.

“As well as forcing some people further into poverty, it will inevitably encourage others to buy their tobacco abroad or on the black market.”

Why are there calls for a price hike?

Anti-smoking campaigners are calling for the price of fags to by hiked even higher still in a bid to reduce smoking levels.

A packet of cigarettes now cost well over £10Credit: Getty – Contributor

Boffins claim that slapping on an extra tenner to the current price could lead to “unprecedented health gains and poverty reduction”.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) said research indicated a “substantial” increase in the price of cigarettes would “help millions of people around the world avoid poor health and extreme poverty”.

Prof Prabhat Jha, from the University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital, claims: “Our study debunks the current narrative that higher cigarette prices would negatively impact the poorest among us.

“This analysis shows the opposite – a higher price would encourage cessation, lead to better health, and save money much more strongly for the poor than the rich.”

He said his research showed taxing poor people was the best way to get them to quit, especially if it makes them prohibitively expensive.

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