€20 for a Packet: Has the War on Smokers Gone Too Far?

Niall is joined by Eric Nelligan to break down Budget 2027, looking at the winners, the losers and whether the Government has actually done enough to tackle the rising cost of living.
They examine the changes to income tax, welfare, childcare, housing supports and energy costs, and ask whether the measures announced will make a noticeable difference to households once rising everyday expenses are taken into account.
But there is one group that has once again been hit particularly hard: smokers.
Budget 2027 increased the price of a packet of 20 cigarettes by another €1, bringing a typical packet to around €20.15, with almost 80% of the retail price now accounted for by tax. Duty on e-liquid products has also increased by 20 cent per millilitre. The Government says higher prices discourage smoking and particularly help prevent younger people from taking up the habit.
But Niall asks whether smokers have simply become an easy target at Budget time.
Plenty of products and habits can damage our health, yet smokers appear to face substantial tax increases year after year. Alcohol excise, for example, was left unchanged in this Budget.
And while increasing the price may encourage some people to quit, what about heavily addicted smokers on lower incomes who simply continue buying cigarettes? Are they giving up food, heating or other household spending instead?
Is tobacco taxation really about public health, or has the Government discovered a politically convenient group it can repeatedly tax without much opposition?
Niall discusses Budget 2027 with Eric Nelligan and asks: when does encouraging somebody to quit smoking become financially punishing them for an addiction?