An anti-smoking lobby group is pressuring the Legault government to raise taxes on cigarettes — and at the same time, implement price controls to stop tobacco companies from easing the blow to consumers.
The Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control says manufacturers have been known to drop the price of their discount brands right after a tax hike. They offset the loss in revenue by boosting the price of their premium brands.
To prove its point, the coalition points to the price gap between discount and premium brands, which it says has widened over the past 15 years.
The coalition wants the province to set both a floor price and a ceiling price for tobacco, so cigarette manufacturers cannot shelter consumers from tax increases.