A substantial increase in the excise tax on tobacco is needed to make smokers stop smoking. Half of the Dutch smokers say they will only stop if a pack of cigarettes costs 60 euros or more, according to a study by Maastricht University (UM) on Tuesday. A minimum price of 12 euros per pack is required to make 10 percent of smokers quit. A pack of twenty cigarettes now costs an average of 7.20 euros.
For the study, fifteen hundred daily smokers were asked how many cigarettes they would buy and smoke in one day at eight different prices. Consumption appears to decrease approximately proportionally to the increase in the price of cigarettes. It is only from an average of 2.93 euros per cigarette that consumption decreases more than the price increases.
According to the researchers, the results not only show how addictive smoking is, but also how relatively cheap cigarettes are in the Netherlands. “People adjust their consumption when they notice the difference in price in their wallet, i.e. when something becomes more or less affordable,” says UM researcher Cloé Geboers.
In April 2020, the excise duty on cigarettes was increased. As a result, a pack of twenty cigarettes became about 1 euro more expensive. The tobacco tax was increased as a result of the National Prevention Agreement, which the government has concluded together with seventy social organisations. This contains measures to ensure a ‘smoke-free generation’ in 2040. According to the agreement, the price of a pack of cigarettes may be further increased to 10 euros in 2023 through an increase in excise duty.
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