Below:   TOBACCO TAX   and latest  NEWS  on funding the fight against tobacco

But still each day in Australia, 50 people die prematurely from active and passive smoking. Around three million Australians are still regular smokers. Deaths caused by tobacco - over 15,000 a year - outstrip the combined deaths from road and all other accidents, alcohol and all illicit drugs, all homicide, HIV, and more. Tobacco causes 12% of the national burden of disease, and 20% of all deaths in indigenous communities.

Tobacco drains the Australian economy of over $31 billion a year in health and other social costs - at least four times what it raises in tax.

Research shows over 80% of smokers want to quit. Comprehensive, sustained anti-smoking campaigns overseas have reduced smoking rates well below the current Australian rate. The cost of achieving such a fall is more than offset by massive savings in health care costs - and the health benefits to smokers, their families and businesses.

Government investment in reducing smoking rates has improved in recent years, but still doesn't match the scale of the problem. Per capita, Australian (federal and state/territory) funding of anti-tobacco measures is much lower than comparable OECD countries (the US, Canada, New Zealand).

We support:

• raising tobacco taxes and prices (see below);
• full funding for the Australian National Tobacco Strategy; 
• overall (federal + state/territory) government funding for education and prevention strategies increased to a level of $10 per capita;
• federal funding for the national tobacco control campaign to be increased to $100m a year, with the majority of funds used to support social marketing; and
• sale of duty-free tobacco products to be prohibited in Australia.  

Evidence shows a 21% increase in the price of tobacco products through excise would prompt 130,000 Australian adults to quit and prevent 35,500 children from taking up smoking. The majority of these people will otherwise die prematurely from illnesses including cancer and cardiovascular disease. Government leadership would reinvigorate preventative health in Australia and help prevent thousands of premature deaths.

With almost one in five Australians smoking daily, and Australia’s current tobacco excise regime well below international best practice, we have an ideal opportunity to increase tobacco excise by 21% as an interim measure towards matching the far higher and more effective excise regimes of OECD jurisdictions like France, Ireland and the UK.

As well as the proven benefits of reducing smoking prevalence, a 21% tobacco price increase (7.5c per cigarette) through excise would deliver an additional $1.03 billion in federal revenue – an extraordinary funding source for further investing in public health to offset the projected health system costs of an ageing population.

Inadequate tobacco control measures, including an excise regime that has not kept pace with WHO-recommended levels since 1999, result in a cycle of social disadvantage, tobacco use and poor health outcomes that tobacco excise can help to break. Research shows excise increases are particularly effective in encouraging blue collar workers to quit smoking and are supported by the majority of smokers in this group. General public support is also very high, with Newspoll research showing 86% of Australians support the measure if most of the revenue is allocated to health.

Tobacco myth busted: huge drain, not "benefit" to economy
22/10/09: Tobacco industry myths of "paying for itself" and "benefiting" the Australian economy have been shattered by a new report showing its multibillion dollar burden far outweighs its meagre net contribution.  See  full report, CCWA media release 22/10/09 and factsheets  See more  tobacco industry myths busted 

Opposition call for tobacco tax rise supported
15/5/09: Health groups have backed a Federal Opposition call for a 12.5% increase on tobacco tax, made in the Budget Reply speech.  See  Cancer Council Australia media release 15/5/09 

Three-quarters of smokers would quit if price raised 50%
15/4/09: 74% of smokers say they would quit if cigarette prices increased by 50% according to a Quit / Heart Foundation / Cancer Council study. The organisations, along with ASH, have called for immediate tobacco tax rises.   See  media release 15/4/09