Could making tobacco cheaper actually cut down smoking rates? We asked 5 experts

Australia aims to reduce rates of daily smoking to 5% or less by 2030. By 2023, we got down to 8.3%.

A key tool to encourage smokers to quit has been to raise the tobacco taxes. Now a pack of 20 cigarettes costs over A$40, with the excise making up around 70% of the price.

Meanwhile, illegal cigarettes have flooded the market, often costing $20 or less a pack. People who wouldn’t normally break the law are now buying cheap, illicit tobacco.

Critics of the current tobacco excise argue the tax has stopped working to further reduce smoking rates and should be lowered. But what would this mean for illicit tobacco consumption?

We asked five experts: could making tobacco cheaper actually cut down smoking rates?

Five out of five said no. Here are their detailed responses.