Australia Rejects Far Right Call to Slash Cigarette Taxes by 75% The Australian government's recent rejection of One Nation's proposal to cut cigarette taxes by 75% has sparked a heated debate over the most effective way to combat the country's illicit tobacco trade.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson argues that the current policy "has failed and is now underwriting organised crime," but Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino insists that the focus should be on enforcement, rather than cutting taxes.
Australia's high cigarette prices have driven a wedge between the cost of legal cigarettes and their black market counterparts.