Australia's illegal tobacco problem has made the proverbial transition from tragedy to farce.
Illicit, excise-evading cigarettes now comprise half of the cancer-inducing products sold to Australia's 2.7 million smokers.
... In the past couple of years, there have been 125 firebombings of tobacco shops in Victoria, and another 50 or so in other states — the most recent last week in Corrimal, NSW.
... Violent robberies in Victoria have grown by more than 150 per cent since February 2024 due to tobacco-related crime.
This is much worse than an unintended consequence of the effort to reduce smoking; it is a complete stuff-up.
... The CEO of the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, Theo Foukkares, says the tipping point happened in 2019 when the excise increased 55 per cent over three years to $1.10 per cigarette stick.
As a direct result, illicit smoking took off and tobacco excise revenue to the government collapsed, from a peak of $16 billion in 2019 to this year's $7.4 billion.
And it's not just the price that's driving people towards the much cheaper illegal alternatives, although that's the main thing, especially in a cost-of-living crisis.
For a start, the packs look nicer without pictures of horrible mouth tumours.
