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The price of cigarettes and tobacco is on the rise again as New Zealand welcomes the New Year, this time increasing with a new excise duty of around 1.4 percent.
It is a smaller increase than in previous years; last year, the price jumped 10 percent to $ 33 a pack.
The Health Ministry said an assessment was needed to see the impact of the increase in the excise tax on smokers.
New Zealand has committed to the Smokefree 2025 target, aiming for less than 5% of kiwis to smoke.
However, there have been concerns that the rising cost of tobacco has not reduced the amount people smoke, but has caused people to prioritize their spending to continue to allow it.
It was an issue raised in an Ernst and Young report for the Ministry of Health in 2018.
According to the latest census data, around a third of Maori are regular smokers, three times more than the general population.
When it comes to the price increase that prompts quitting, e-cigarette retailer Shosha says the latest increase could cause thousands of kiwis to kick the habit this week.
He cited his trend data which found that last year’s 10 percent price increase meant cuts by thousands of New Zealanders.
However, this year, it found that one in four current smokers has increased their use this year due to the Covid-10 pandemic and stress.
“Research shows that quitting smoking is the most difficult New Year’s resolution to fulfill,” says Shosha spokesman Nabhik Gupta.
“However, with each increase in the price of tobacco, more smokers are looking for alternatives.”
