Health chiefs say €1 cigarette tax hike would save 15,000 lives

HEALTH chiefs have called for a €1 tax hike on a packet of cigarettes inthe budget in a bid to cut the number of smoking-related deaths by 15,000.

The Irish Heart Foundation claimed that the increase would reduce the number of smokers in Ireland by 30,000.

Chief executive Michael O’Shea highlighted that since one in two smokers die from the habit, thousands of lives could be saved.