Minister's $200m tobacco tax cut bypasses Cabinet requirements

Heated tobacco products are "probably" less harmful than cigarettes but more harmful than vaping. (Image: Getty)

Fri, 26 Jul 2024

Ministers gave the nod to a $216 million proposal to halve the taxes on a smokeless tobacco product despite the policy failing to meet Cabinet requirements for changing regulations.Associate Health Minister Casey Costello’s Cabinet paper on reducing the excise duty payable on heated tobacco products (HTPs) was released this week. It shows that it was submitted without the required departmental advice on the policy’s impacts.The paper revealed the policy was estimated to cost $11m in the current financial year, rising to $84m by 2027...

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