Raising tobacco taxes 'will make crooks happy'

MP SAYS HIGHER PRICES WILL FORCE ILLEGAL SALES

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

Ashfield MP Lee Anderson

ASHFIELD MP Lee Anderson says making cigarettes more expensive will mean more money for organised crime like people trafficking as he calls on the Chancellor to freeze tobacco duty.

The Reform UK MP says a black market for tobacco has "exploded" over the last decade and that further increasing the tax on cigarettes will "only make the crooks rub their hands with glee".

Writing in the Daily Express, he says under-the-counter tobacco helps fund organised crime and illegal immigration. He writes: "With the Budget approaching, we need to be realistic - this problem isn’t going to be fixed by further increasing the tax.

"Common sense tells you it will just lead to more people smoking cheap, under-the-counter cigs.