Cutting cigarette tax will not create more smokers, Angus Taylor says

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has defended a proposed policy to slash cigarette taxes by more than $20 per pack, arguing the change will not lead to an increase in the number of smokers.

Taylor stated that the reduction is justified because the current cost of illegal cigarettes has already reached that price point, effectively neutralizing the deterrent effect of the existing high tax rate.

The debate centers on the economic and public health impacts of tobacco taxation, specifically how high duties interact with illicit markets and consumer smoking rates.