The most reliable of the old reliables has once again taken a hit in this year’s Budget.
Cigarettes will go up by 50 cent per pack for 20, bringing the average cost of a packet to €14.
Paschal Donohoe said he is bringing in the latest hike to “support public health policy.”
The Minister for Finance made the announcement in a Dail sitting at the Convention Centre as he delivered The Budget this lunchtime.
Cigarette prices were expected to rise as they do most years.
A smoker's group has described the decision as "yet another kick in the teeth" for smokers.
John Mallon, spokesman for the smokers' group Forest Ireland, said: "This is yet another kick in the teeth for consumers who already pay punitive levels of tax on tobacco.
"It will drive even more smokers to buy tobacco from the black market or abroad, and who would blame them? "Apart from the less well off, the biggest losers will be legitimate retailers, many of whom can ill afford a further loss of revenue."
More from Budget 2021
Mr Donohoe pledged to build a “stronger Ireland” from the “ashes of the pandemic."
Here are some of the key quotes from the opening moments of Minister Donohoe's Budget speech:
- We’ve faced numerous challenges since independence, but never one like Covid-19
- But equally, we meet this enemy with greater determination
- We will prevail, we will come through this
- From the ashes of the pandemic, we will build a stronger and more resilient Ireland
- Budget 20121 is a bridge to that future
- Total supports will be €24.5billion, 8 times larger than last year’s intervention
You can read a full round-up of all of the measures announced in the Budget, including cuts to VAT and a rise in fuel prices here.
