Finance Minister Michael Noonan will announce a tenfold increase in the retailer tobacco licence annual fee to EUR 500 (USD 678) when he presents the 2014 budget today, the Irish Examiner reported.

The increase would apply to approximately 11,000 retail outlets around the country, the newspaper said. Additional funds from the licence fees would be earmarked for health care. The Irish government has set a goal of reducing the smoking rate below 5 per cent of the adult population by 2025.