Campaigners want tobacco tax to go higher

The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health has proposed increasing the city’s tobacco tax to 75 percent of the retail price, in a bid to match the recommended tobacco taxation rate from the World Health Organization.

This will be followed by a review each year, with the rate adjusted according to inflation to help smokers kick the habit, as well as safeguarding Hong Kong citizens' health, the Council said.

Tobacco taxes were previously increased in February 2023, with the tax proportion of the retail price being only about 64 percent. A pack of 20 cigarettes now costs around HK$78.

Vienna Lai Wai-yin, the executive director of the Council on Smoking and Health, said the current tobacco taxation rate has hindered tobacco control efforts.

In addition to the hike in tobacco tax, the government should strengthen tobacco control measures, including increasing resources to assist smokers in quitting, to achieve the government's goal of reducing the smoking rate to 7.8 percent by 2025 and ultimately achieving a smoke-free Hong Kong, said Lai.