Will this actually stop people buying cigarettes?

A tobacco tax hike of five per cent above inflation would result in a significant drop in the number of people who choose to smoke tobacco, an anti-smoking charity has suggested.

Smoking is known to be the catalyst in a variety of different illnesses and health problems that cost the economy millions each year.

The chances of developing cervical cancer are not helped by the effects of cigarette smoke as meta-analysis has shown that the risk of squamous-cell cervical cancer is increased by around 50 per cent in current smokers, according to Cancer Research UK.

An Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) report said increasing tobacco taxation will lead to a reduction in the number of smokers by 190,000 and save the NHS more than £20 million a year by reducing the cost of treating smoking-related diseases.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash said that not all smokers can quit, regardless of the price.

"If smoking were invented today, it would be banned," she claimed.

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