Tobacco prices in the Netherlands have gone up by an average of almost 20 per cent this year, as the government moves towards its goal of a EUR 10 packet of cigarettes, reports DutchNews.

The 2020 increase is down to two tax increases, bringing the price of a packet of cigarettes to around EUR 8.20, the report said. A further rise of EUR 0.12 will take place on 1 January 2021. For example, the current price for a packet of Marlboro is between 7.80 and 13.50 (big pack). According to the report, some 22 per cent of the Dutch population smoke. The Nationaal Preventieakkoord, a government prevention programme, aims to reduce the number of smokers back to 5 per cent by 2040.