‘Reckless’: Coalition’s 80% cigarette tax cut slammed by health experts

The Australian Medical Association and Labor have rejected the Coalition's plan to cut tobacco excise by 80%, labelling it a "reckless" move. The plan, announced by Angus Taylor and Nationals leader Matt Canavan, aims to curb soaring illegal cigarette sales by drastically cutting the price of cigarettes and legalising vapes.

According to Taylor, the cut would reduce the excise on a standard packet of 20 cigarettes from about $30 to about $6, and would undermine illicit tobacco dealers, who currently control more than half of all sales in Australia. The Coalition government would spend $200 million on a law enforcement push against illicit sales.

The plan has been met with criticism from public health experts, who argue it is a backward step on tobacco control. The opposition frames the move as an assault on organised crime, with Taylor saying that it would destroy the business model of illicit tobacco dealers. The Coalition claims that Parliamentary Budget Office modelling found the plan would add about $8 billion in revenue to the budget over four years.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian Australia, The Guardian — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.