The European Commission has proposed increasing the minimum rate of excise duty on cigarettes by 50% as part of its wider public health strategy of discouraging smoking in the 27 member bloc.

Announcing the initiative this week, Laszlo Kovacs, the Taxation Commissioner, said: “Today’s proposal supports the EU policy to reduce tobacco consumption and narrow the differences in price levels of tobacco products within the EU.”

He quoted the World Bank, which maintains that price increases in tobacco products are the most effective way of preventing smoking, especially among young people who are generally more responsive to higher prices than …