The second of four hefty annual hikes in tax on cigarettes took effect on 1 Sept, raising the price per cigarette in a pack of 20 to near AUD 1 (EUR 0.71), the Sydney Morning Herald said.

Cigarette taxes rose 13.7 per cent, AUD 1.12, to AUD 9.25 on a pack of 20 and from AUD 16.26 to 18.51 on a 40-pack, the newspaper said. The increases push the pack price for 20 cigarettes above AUD 20 for some brands, and the 40-pack price to more than AUD 30.
The latest round of tax increases will prompt 60,000 smokers to quit and reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by 800 million, according to Australian Council on Smoking and Health projections cited by the Herald.