Ireland: Minister James Reilly Calls for Cigarette Price Hike

Source from:  News Irish 09/22/2014

Former Health Minister James Reilly has called for another increase in excise duty on cigarettes in the upcoming budget.

Mr Reilly, who retained responsibility for anti-smoking policy despite losing the health portfolio in the Government reshuffle, said: "Clearly I'd like to see the price of cigarettes go up again, because I think they are price sensitive, and I know that the more expensive they are, the less people that will smoke them."

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs stated he was "particularly concerned" about children continuing to take up the habit adding that if they can be deterred "we will see the end to the incidence of smoking in their generation". He said his plain packaging bill is "critically important" to this.

"Children are not stupid. They can be conned by attractive packaging, but when they see - and the Irish Cancer Society did this little study - the plain packs with the warnings and the graphic photographs, they recoil in horror from them," he added

A spokesman from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Ireland supported Mr Reilly's call saying it was looking for a 50c increase in next month's budget.

In last year's budget, the excise duty on a packet of 20 cigarettes was increased by 10c. Enditem