Typically in Canada the taxes amount to about 85% of the retail price. In my province a carton of 200 ciggs cost at least $180.00 or $18.00/pack of 20. About 3 years ago I checked the prices of US ciggs - State by State and a lot were in the $40 - $48 range and the lowest was $37.oo per carton of 200/US Funds. Note: Both in the US and Canada a cigarette must weigh 1 gram by Federal Law. I started smoking about 1964 and a 20 pack cost $0.44. Using the Bank of Canada's Inflation Calculator this should cost 🤔$4.30 CAD, and they were taxed back then. I still smoke as a treat but by far mostly Vape.
The problem is the Australian government. There was a sweet spot for tobacco prices, quitting, fewer new smokers, tax incentives, no real market for illegal tobacco. It's government greed that caused the problem, if they stopped when it was at that sweet spot, funded campaigns to hit schools up and stuff, it would have been ok. They created the illegal market the only reason they are crying about it is because they are losing a lot of money.
A 50 gram packet of rolling tobacco (or pipe tobacco) costs under $15aud in the USA. While in Australia, a 50 gram pouch of rolling or pipe tobacco is about $150aud. So Australians are paying 10 times the amount for tobacco. A typical "pack a day" smoker will spend about $300-350aud per week, or about $15k to $18k per year. Considering that smokers are usually a lower lower financial demographic with lesser money, its absolutely appauling that the federal government force these prices on its people. And then to ban vaping products, to keep smokers on the high prices. And the tobacco lobby getting upset because its customers want cheaper prices, so it goes out trying to sting small business selling grey import. Australia needs a major reform for tobacco, and vape, that is not draining the wallets of Australians that choose to smoke.
The Government is greedy- not much in it for us smokers. So Fair game to the Blackmarket Tobacco industry & i thank them. We fund enough of the fat governments family holidays & lifestyle but get not much in return.
Gov. pricing is driving the black market. Prohibition NEVER works. Now, they are just cashing in. How are the tonnes of this tobacco being transported....??? I have so many questions....! $340/100gms compared to $35/100gms, funny feeling it's less than half the cost....!! Pretty simple choice Mr Government.
Sheer stupidity from the Australian government, shades of the US prohibition on alcohol. Hopefully they will see sense rather than driving people into illegal activity but I doubt it.
I pay $10 for a cheap pack or $18 for legit. Or pay $40+ for the same pack legally and have nothing left to spend legally at other businesses. Or have an extra $20-$30 that goes into the till of a family business. The governments have shot themselves in the foot with this one. Too greedy too quickly and they lost the advantage.
We have most expensive cigarettes in the world. Tax on tobacco is $500 per kilo plus gst!!! Yes, percentage of smokers are down. Who can afford those prices imposed on the people by the biggest cartel in the country, our government. What is the goal of such a large tax, a healthier population or full state coffers that politicians will use as they please. If we are a healthier nation because of fewer smokers, then the waiting lists in hospitals should be shorter than they were before the introduction of these crazy taxes. Make your own conclusion..
The cost of smoking on society is nothing compared to that of alcohol. There are people taken to hospital with injuries caused by drunk people every day, domestic violence, drunk drivers, fights on the street. Ambulances and police called etc.
When I can get 100g of chop for half the price of a 25g tobacco it's a no brainier witch one il buy , if there worried about health why no tax on sugar or high tax on alcohol it's all about money
Maybe someone in Australian government is getting a kickback for increasing tax, if the government is so worried about our health make smoking illegal.
Considering it takes something like 800 smokers per car for pollution equivalents, do we start rolling out taxes on these fumes as well. NOPE, govt go broke without this tax $ or aka Legalised theft IMHO I used to smoke and miss it honestly, best way to relax after work with a beer or at Pub with mates. Now that culture has died out.
Mum died a very painful death 10 weeks ago. Her lung cancer spread to 4 spots in the brain & the tailbone that even touching her feet painful. She was out of it on morphine & still calling out to her mum & dad for help because it hurt so much. She refused to stop smoking & pain was her reward. She was spending $400 per week of her $500 per week pension on smokes.
If you can send it over seas, lose most of it , and sell it for 50% less , then I'd say our government is doing a little bit more than looking after our health
curing tobacco is not a walk in the park. It needs to be cured for 12months to be of quality.... maybe 6 months if they deaperate. as someone who has no idea about the industry but i would imagine due to the curing most tobacco is imported.
What is the cost on the health system from smoking related illness? If the tax collected is less than or equal to that, then I'm all for the high tax rates. Why should non-smoking taxpayers foot the bill?
Unfortunately smokers have no idea how to smoke around other people especially around non smokers you could be sitting on a bench and a smoker will come to the bench when your eating and just light up next to you I've had to ask smokers sitting next to me excuse me do you smoke at the same time you eat and they say no and I say well I don't want to eat and smoke your second hand smoke while I eat ,that's just a small example.
Easiest way to stop this, is just stop smoking!! as a non smoker even thought of sticking one of those disgusting things in my mouth gives me the heebee jeeebeee's.
I was a 45 year smoker, gave them 9 years ago and I know what those little sticks can do with your health (I suffer). Reading the comments it sounds like they come from smokers that complain the Government makes too much money from tobacco sales in tax from them. How much does it cost our health system to take care for those that suffer ill heath from sucking on those little sticks
When a pack of cigarettes costs over $50, what the heck do you expect. The Govt are a bunch of dogs.
So stop the 300% tax mark up on the products & there would be no blackmarket Tobacco🤬
Typically in Canada the taxes amount to about 85% of the retail price. In my province a carton of 200 ciggs cost at least $180.00 or $18.00/pack of 20. About 3 years ago I checked the prices of US ciggs - State by State and a lot were in the $40 - $48 range and the lowest was $37.oo per carton of 200/US Funds. Note: Both in the US and Canada a cigarette must weigh 1 gram by Federal Law. I started smoking about 1964 and a 20 pack cost $0.44. Using the Bank of Canada's Inflation Calculator this should cost 🤔$4.30 CAD, and they were taxed back then. I still smoke as a treat but by far mostly Vape.
300% ? who are you kidding, it is over 3,000% lol - you are literally over 10x times off
That won't happen. They need to revenue to keep the law enforcement authorities employed. Jobs program.
It’s mind blowing how much tax the government makes when you can buy a carton in Asia for $10 but the government charges $60 pkt winfield 👀
I agree and I'm not even a smoker.
The problem is the Australian government.
There was a sweet spot for tobacco prices, quitting, fewer new smokers, tax incentives, no real market for illegal tobacco.
It's government greed that caused the problem, if they stopped when it was at that sweet spot, funded campaigns to hit schools up and stuff, it would have been ok.
They created the illegal market the only reason they are crying about it is because they are losing a lot of money.
A 50 gram packet of rolling tobacco (or pipe tobacco) costs under $15aud in the USA. While in Australia, a 50 gram pouch of rolling or pipe tobacco is about $150aud. So Australians are paying 10 times the amount for tobacco. A typical "pack a day" smoker will spend about $300-350aud per week, or about $15k to $18k per year. Considering that smokers are usually a lower lower financial demographic with lesser money, its absolutely appauling that the federal government force these prices on its people. And then to ban vaping products, to keep smokers on the high prices. And the tobacco lobby getting upset because its customers want cheaper prices, so it goes out trying to sting small business selling grey import. Australia needs a major reform for tobacco, and vape, that is not draining the wallets of Australians that choose to smoke.
theyre only upset because theyre losing money.
also nicotine destroys their nana tec. Look into it
It's all about the money. Stop taxing people so much and they won't buy chop chop.
Our government doesn't care about the little person ,why should the little person care about the government
This report is from around 2016. It’s funny how the illegal tobacco trade has only become stronger since then
Black market tobacco is killing our revenue umm sorry your health. 9 billion in tax collected last year alone. Enough said.
I don’t smoke but if people want to they should be able to without taking out a mortgage
Aussie's are not stupid. When you can get 100gm for $70 why pay $150 for 50gm?
100% government incompetence
Lower the taxes !
Stop forcing people to do what they do not want to
No. Protect our youth from becoming lifelong nicotine addicts and ruining their health and wealth. Raise those taxes
The Government is greedy- not much in it for us smokers. So Fair game to the Blackmarket Tobacco industry & i thank them. We fund enough of the fat governments family holidays & lifestyle but get not much in return.
Gov. pricing is driving the black market. Prohibition NEVER works. Now, they are just cashing in. How are the tonnes of this tobacco being transported....??? I have so many questions....!
$340/100gms compared to $35/100gms, funny feeling it's less than half the cost....!! Pretty simple choice Mr Government.
Tax on cigarettes and fuel is a sin. It is a product like any other. Why these insane tax?
Sheer stupidity from the Australian government, shades of the US prohibition on alcohol. Hopefully they will see sense rather than driving people into illegal activity but I doubt it.
Just let people smoke. You can go many places around the world and get smokes for less than $5.00 a pack.
As soon as you went above $15AUD per pack of 20s you opened up a black market
I pay $10 for a cheap pack or $18 for legit. Or pay $40+ for the same pack legally and have nothing left to spend legally at other businesses. Or have an extra $20-$30 that goes into the till of a family business.
The governments have shot themselves in the foot with this one. Too greedy too quickly and they lost the advantage.
We have most expensive cigarettes in the world. Tax on tobacco is $500 per kilo plus gst!!! Yes, percentage of smokers are down. Who can afford those prices imposed on the people by the biggest cartel in the country, our government.
What is the goal of such a large tax, a healthier population or full state coffers that politicians will use as they please.
If we are a healthier nation because of fewer smokers, then the waiting lists in hospitals should be shorter than they were before the introduction of these crazy taxes.
Make your own conclusion..
The cost of smoking on society is nothing compared to that of alcohol. There are people taken to hospital with injuries caused by drunk people every day, domestic violence, drunk drivers, fights on the street. Ambulances and police called etc.
$9 for a pack of double happiness or $52 for a pack of Winnie blues ……. Ummmm
Not the double happiness 😂
It's not about health it's about greedy government after our $
Stop the tax
why are we ramping at hospitals tobacco tax was meant too go to health
Get stuffed Australia, the amount of "illegal" tobacco is underestimated.
Hoping this report doesn't spoil it for everyone 😢
Come to Canada where you can go to the local Res & pick up a bag of about 200 for the price of a large pack at the convenience store. No gov't control
nanny state for sure,
When I can get 100g of chop for half the price of a 25g tobacco it's a no brainier witch one il buy , if there worried about health why no tax on sugar or high tax on alcohol it's all about money
They let vapes into the country and made cigarettes unaffordable.
Yeah its hilarious seeing people eating outdoors and millions of cars passing by touching distance
Companies or Government only cares their profits nothing else
Maybe someone in Australian government is getting a kickback for increasing tax, if the government is so worried about our health make smoking illegal.
I smoked for 35 years only took 2 weeks to quit its not that hard that was 13 years ago so glad i did
Considering it takes something like 800 smokers per car for pollution equivalents, do we start rolling out taxes on these fumes as well. NOPE, govt go broke without this tax $ or aka Legalised theft IMHO
I used to smoke and miss it honestly, best way to relax after work with a beer or at Pub with mates. Now that culture has died out.
Mum died a very painful death 10 weeks ago. Her lung cancer spread to 4 spots in the brain & the tailbone that even touching her feet painful. She was out of it on morphine & still calling out to her mum & dad for help because it hurt so much. She refused to stop smoking & pain was her reward. She was spending $400 per week of her $500 per week pension on smokes.
they are heroes' the real criminals are what created these "dealers" pfft
If you can send it over seas, lose most of it , and sell it for 50% less , then I'd say our government is doing a little bit more than looking after our health
They pay 70c per pack tax to the government? Then why is it soooooooooo expensive?
The ''War on Drugs'' taught you nothing... right?...
Okay then... legalize drugs [close to] and ban tobacco... to replace it with what?...
No much sympathy for the Australian government in the thread here hahaha
And their war on drugs was such a success availabity easyier than it was in in the 70s and how much did that cost the taxpayers Cheers
curing tobacco is not a walk in the park. It needs to be cured for 12months to be of quality.... maybe 6 months if they deaperate. as someone who has no idea about the industry but i would imagine due to the curing most tobacco is imported.
@ 6:33 - that guy has teeth just like pictured on the packets he sells lol
Cops do nothing about it
What is the cost on the health system from smoking related illness?
If the tax collected is less than or equal to that, then I'm all for the high tax rates.
Why should non-smoking taxpayers foot the bill?
Unfortunately smokers have no idea how to smoke around other people especially around non smokers you could be sitting on a bench and a smoker will come to the bench when your eating and just light up next to you I've had to ask smokers sitting next to me excuse me do you smoke at the same time you eat and they say no and I say well I don't want to eat and smoke your second hand smoke while I eat ,that's just a small example.
dont smoke
Easiest way to stop this, is just stop smoking!! as a non smoker even thought of sticking one of those disgusting things in my mouth gives me the heebee jeeebeee's.
Let people do what ever they want to do. Just cut the free health care.
It’s a vile habit.
I was a 45 year smoker, gave them 9 years ago and I know what those little sticks can do with your health (I suffer). Reading the comments it sounds like they come from smokers that complain the Government makes too much money from tobacco sales in tax from them. How much does it cost our health system to take care for those that suffer ill heath from sucking on those little sticks