Francesca Rudkin: Black market ciggies are in the news again

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Jun 11, 2026 · 3m · transcript

Cheap, illict, black market ciggies are in the news again.

A new report claims more that than one third of tobacco consumed last year was bought on the black market. It estimates the Government lost $817 million in excise and GST revenue last year. It’s worth noting the report was commission by tobacco companies, who are obviously very keen to knock this behaviour on the head.

Immediately, it raises questions about the excise tax placed on cigarettes and whether we should raise it, keep it steady, or drop it. Excise tax and GST in NZ means a packet of cigarettes is around $40 – but you can…