The price of a pack of cigarettes is due to rise following the new 2020 budget announcement on 8 October, Irish Post reported.

An average pack of 20 cigarettes will now cost EUR 13.50. Finance minister Paschal Donohoe announced that he would increase the excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by EUR 0.50, with a pro-rata increase on other tobacco products, the report said.
The price hike meanwhile has been met with derision by smokers' lobby groups. John Mallon, spokesperson for the group Forest Ireland called the increase as a "massive own goal" by the government, emphasising that more smokers will buy their tobacco on the black market or duty free when they are abroad, the report said.
However, the announcement has been celebrated by the Irish Cancer Society, who say that a sharp rise in tobacco costs is “the most effective way of getting people to quit”.