The average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes will now cost AUD 40 (USD 29.47) after the tobacco excise tax was increased for a second time this year, reports the Daily Mail.

Australians already shell out more than any other country for their cigarettes and now the federal government’s tobacco excise has increased by 12.5 per cent for a second time in one year. It means consumers will have to pay an average of AUD 40 (USD 29.47) for a pack of 20 cigarettes. Calculated over one year, users that smoke one pack a day will be spending AUD 12,500 (USD 9209) to light up, according to the Daily Mail. A packet of Roth now costs AUD 34 (USD 25) whereas the price for a packet of Benson and Hedges now lies at AUD 42 (USD 31).
The Australian government makes around AUD 17 billion (USD 12.5 billion) in tobacco tax each year which has led to a surge in black market tobaccos trade. According to the Australian Border Force, the illegal tobacco trade is worth AUD 600 million (USD 442 million) annually, reports the Daily Mail.