'Win for tobacco lobby': New Zealand all set to scrap 'smoking generation ban'

The newly minted conservative coalition government in New Zealand will scrap the law that banned smoking for future generations, nearly a year after former liberal prime minister Jacinda Ardern had the legislation passed in parliament.

The reversal is expected to help the government pay for the tax cuts which was a major poll plank for the centre-right National Party.

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National agreed to bin the law as part of its coalition agreement with populist New Zealand First, The Guardian reported.

The agreement between the two parties includes “removing requirements for de-nicotisation, removing the reduction in retail outlets and the generation ban”.

The National Party won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's October 14 general election but needed the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First parties to form a majority government.

Notably, the National Party wooed the voters by promising relief to the middle class by bringing inflation under control.

Tax cuts form a major part of the promise but to provide the relief, the exchequerneeds money in its coffers.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis last week said the laws, if implemented, would have significantly reduced the revenue for the government.

“Coming back to those extra sources of revenue and other savings areas that will help us to fund the tax reduction, we have to remember that the changes to the smoke-free legislation had a significant impact on the Government books – with about $1 billion there.”

According to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who was sworn in on Monday (Nov 27), the reversal will prevent a bootlegging industry from cropping up.

“Concentrating the distribution of cigarettes in one store in one small town is going to be a massive magnet for crime,” Luxon was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.

Watch |UK's PM Sunak wants to ban younger generations from smoking

What did the law say?

Hailed when it was introduced, the anti-smoking law was expected to be implemented from July 2024.

It included a complete ban on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 and implementing an annually rising smoking age.

The ban, which was supposed to remain in place for a person’s whole life, made smoking punishable by a fine of up to NZ$150,000 ($ 95,910).

These laws were introduced in a bid to make New Zealand “smoke-free” by 2025.

New Zealand inspires UK

While the Kiwis have gone back on the law, it did inspire British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to introduce a similar proposal in his country.

Under the British version, a 14-year-old today will never be legally able to buy a cigarette, meaning, their generation will end up growing in a smoke-free environment, at least on paper.

Quizzed if his government will revoke the legislation in future, following Wellington's lead, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:"No, our position remains unchanged.We are committed to that."

(With inputs from agencies)