Cigarettes have gone up by around £1–£2 per pack in the latest Budget in the UK, depending on pack size and product type, due to higher tobacco duty.

Quick Scoop: Headline Change

  • The government announced a one-off additional increase in tobacco duty on top of the usual index-linked rises, to keep cigarettes more expensive than vaping products.
  • This adds £2.20 per 100 cigarettes , which works out at roughly 22p per 10‑stick “mini pack” or about 44p on a standard 20‑pack just from this extra rise alone , before other duty changes are included.
  • When combined with regular duty and VAT adjustments, most high‑street prices are rising by about £1–£2 per 20‑pack compared with pre‑Budget levels.

In simple terms: if your usual 20‑deck was, say, £14 before, it is now typically in the £15–£16 range , depending on brand and retailer.

What Exactly Changed?

  • The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed that, alongside a new tax on vaping liquids, there would be a “one‑off” extra increase in tobacco duty to make sure smoking stays clearly more expensive than vaping.
  • The specific jump is £2.20 per 100 cigarettes and £2.20 per 50 g of rolling tobacco , on top of the existing duty structure and above‑inflation rises.

For rolling tobacco users, this means a noticeable jump on 30 g and 50 g pouches , often well over £1 extra per pouch at retail once all duty and VAT are factored in.

Why the Government Did It

  • The stated aim is to discourage smoking while introducing a separate duty on vaping products; the plan is to keep a clear price gap so that vaping remains the cheaper option for nicotine.
  • Extra revenue from higher tobacco duty is being earmarked for health spending in some recent Budgets, such as funding lung and chronic disease programmes, reflecting the large health costs of smoking.

From a policy point of view, this is part of a long‑running trend : each Budget or fiscal event tends to push cigarette duty up faster than general inflation, making smoking steadily less affordable over time.

How Smokers Are Feeling It Day to Day

  • Many smokers on forums and in the news say they now trade down to cheaper brands, buy smaller packs, or roll their own to cope with repeated hikes.
  • Others talk about cutting consumption or finally trying to quit , especially as prices creep beyond £15 a pack in many places.

For heavier smokers, that extra £1–£2 per pack quickly adds up to tens of pounds a month , which is exactly the kind of financial pressure health agencies hope will push people toward quitting services.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.