Quebec Increases Tobacco Tax to Support Smoking-Free Strategy

Starting today, smokers in the Canadian province of Quebec will be paying more for their cigarettes. Quebec has announced its first increase in tobacco product taxes since 2014.

According to an announcement released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance, there will be an increase of $8 for every 200 cigarette sticks. Specifically, the tax on cigarettes will go up from 14.9 cents to 18.9 cents per stick.

The same price also applies to the sales of one gram of loose tobacco or tobacco leaves. Only the 80% tax on the value of cigars remains unchanged.

The government states that they are doing this to "support Quebec's 2020-2025 smoke-free strategy" with the goal of reducing smoking rates to below 10% by 2025. According to data from Quebec's statistical research agency, 12% of the province's population aged 15 and over were smoking in 2020.

However, David Renaud, manager of the CCS public interest advocacy team, pointed out that Quebec still has the lowest tobacco tax rate in Canada. The $8 increase is only slightly higher than the cumulative inflation of the past nine years.

As a result of this growth, Quebec province is expected to collect about $37 per box of cigarettes, while Ontario requires $45. The average price in Canada is $62.