Open pack of cigarettes standing upright.
Share this @internewscast.com

PUNITIVE tobacco taxes have blown a £1.4 billion black hole in Treasury coffers, as smokers turn to black market cigs.

A staggering £3.1 billion in excise tax from various goods was lost last year to smugglers, counterfeiters, and illegal sellers, as Brits turned away from official shops in favor of cheap, illicit goods.

Open pack of cigarettes standing upright.
Punitive tobacco taxes have blown a £1.4 billion black hole in Treasury coffersCredit: Getty

That’s enough cash to pay the wages of over 60,000 nurses or hand out Winter Fuel Payments to every pensioner in the UK.

The biggest tax gap came from fags, followed by beer, which had hole of £700m.

Stephen Rooney from Imperial Brands stated: “These troubling figures highlight the extent and magnitude of Britain’s expanding illegal tobacco black market, which is currently denying the Treasury billions in lost tax annually.

“Smoking rates are not decreasing, and continually rising duties are simply driving customers towards the unregulated black market, which contributes nothing in tax.”

One in four fags in the UK now comes from the black market, where a pack can cost as little as £5, over three times cheaper than a legal pack of Marlboro Gold in British supermarkets.

In just three years, duty-paid cigarette sales have plunged nearly 45 per cent, from 23.6 billion in 2021 to just 13.2 billion now.

Rolling tobacco sales have also been slashed almost in half.

Yet smoking rates aren’t falling and have instead crept up in some parts of England for the first time in nearly 20 years, according to University College London research.

Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice said: “Hard working Brits, feeling the squeeze in their pockets, are turning to under the counter options, and who can blame them?

“The government’s tax policy is pricing them out of legitimate goods.

“Labour chooses not to partner with above board businesses, but with organised criminal gangs instead.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Alabama fireworks mishap turns boat into fireball on Fourth of July, six hospitalized

Alabama Fireworks Incident Ignites Boat on Fourth of July, Six Hospitalized

They went out with a bang. A poorly rigged fireworks set-up in…
The disturbing moment four-year-old Cash was allegedly abducted by Brown

Chilling Incident: 4-Year-Old Boy Abducted from Bed While Sleeping Next to Twin Brother – Still Missing

THIS is the harrowing moment a four-year-old boy is kidnapped from his…
Israel sends negotiating team to Qatar for ceasefire talks

Israel Dispatches Team to Qatar for Ceasefire Discussions

U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed for an agreement and will host…
Aerial view of a 3,500-year-old archaeological site in Peru.

Remarkable 3,500-Year-Old Lost City of the Americas’ Oldest Civilization Discovered in Peru

AN ANCIENT city that is over 3,500 years old has been unearthed…
Heather Graham flaunts body in several bikinis during Italy vacation

Heather Graham Shows Off Stunning Bikinis on Italian Getaway

There is no one else who is soaking up the sun more…
Couple in swimwear posing on a boat.

Gulf Coast Stapletons Influencer Stands by Husband After He Pleads Guilty to 20 Charges Related to Child Abuse Images

AN INFLUENCER has defended her husband online after he was sentenced to…
Woman being interviewed in front of a red car.

Erin Patterson, Dubbed the “Mushroom Cook,” Convicted of Fatally Poisoning In-laws with Deathcap Mushrooms at Lunch

THE infamous “mushroom cook” has been found guilty of murdering her in-laws…
Biden's Slurring Juneteenth Remarks Can't Make the Dems Happy

Essex Files: Joe Biden Highlights Global Disconnect Dating Back to 1945

President Joe Biden wants to convey something crucial: European leaders are reaching…
Photo of Yessica Arrua, accused of stealing from Palm Beach Equine Clinic.

Employee mistakenly paid $400,000, believed to be a bonus on her $60k salary, spends it on lavish shopping spree

A HORSE clinic receptionist is accused of grand theft after being accidentally…
Netanyahu and Trump to meet in DC as Gaza’s fate without Hamas is debated

Netanyahu and Trump’s DC Meeting to Discuss Gaza’s Future in a Post-Hamas Context

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to…
Former Houston appointee claims flood-ravaged Camp Mystic is 'Whites-only' in viral video

Ex-Houston Official Alleges Viral Video Shows Camp Mystic, Damaged by Flood, as ‘Whites-Only’

A former appointee to a Houston city board is facing criticism for…
Chicago NASCAR race:3rd NASCAR Chicago Street Race takes off in Grant Park for 2nd day with Cup Series race

NASCAR Chicago: Day 2 of the Third Annual Race Kicks Off in Grant Park with Cup Series Action

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago’s third annual NASCAR Street Race will hit the…