Updated at 4.50pm
THE PRICE OF a packet of cigarettes will rise to €10 from tomorrow.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan has announced a 40 cent hike in the price of a packet of 20 in his Budget speech.
That will push the price of a packet to €10. That means that for the average smoker (23 cigarettes a day), the yearly cost will be over €4,000 a year. The price hike will be implemented at midnight.
Roll your own tobacco will climb by 25 cent.
There was better news, however, for publicans and drinkers.
The price of a pint and a bottle of wine will stay put and Noonan announced excise reliefs for microbreweries.
Which means an avoidance of scenes like this:
Never forget.
There will also be no increase in the excise on petrol or diesel.
Reaction…
As you might imagine, anti-smoking group ASH Ireland has welcomed the 40 cent increase on a pack of 20.
The group’s chairman, Ross Morgan, said the Government should go further still in its bid to achieve a smoke-free society.
“If the Government is to achieve its objective of establishing a smokefree Ireland by 2025 then it must consistently increase the price of tobacco.
“It would be possible to reduce smoking levels by a further 10 per cent at least in the next 10 years if there are consistent and significant increases in tobacco price, combined with other measures such as the introduction of standardised packaging.”
Keep up with all of our Budget coverage here
have your say