Raising price and reducing illicit trade
Increasing tobacco price is the most effective policy to reduce smoking rates, reduce health inequalities and prevent smoking-related deaths.
The availability of illicit tobacco undermines almost every aspect of tobacco control – in particular the effectiveness of taxation. It keeps smokers hooked and provides a cheap and accessible source of tobacco to children. Organised criminal gangs are usually behind the supply, and it funds and fuels wider criminal activity in local communities.
Fresh delivers a multi component strand of activity at national and sub-national levels to address the illicit tobacco trade and to advocate to keep high the real price of tobacco. This includes:
- Co-ordinating the national Illicit Tobacco Partnership
- Delivering, (Keep It Out) the insight-led demand reduction campaign
- Biannual tracking of the illicit tobacco market in the North East
- Supporting the delivery of our evidence based eight strand strategic framework on illicit tobacco.
We support local and regional Trading Standards colleagues with advice and strategic guidance on tobacco control and through regular cascading of relevant policy developments.
We will also continue to advocate nationally for effective tobacco taxation to ensure that the real price of tobacco remains high, that differential tax rates between tobacco products are eliminated and that tobacco tax policy is strengthened to minimise the impact of tobacco industry pricing strategies.
The Illicit Tobacco Partnership (ITP) is led by Fresh in collaboration with our partners at ASH, SPECTRUM and the Greater Manchester Making Smoking History programme.
The ITP is part of broader strategies aimed at reducing smoking prevalence, to protect communities from tobacco-related harm, and to stop more children and young people from starting to smoke in the first place.
Visit the Illicit Tobacco Partnership section.