Cigarette prices in New York city to increase 25% to $13 a pack next June

The minimum price for a pack of cigarettes purchased in New York City will shoot to $13 next June, a 25 per cent increase as part of a package of bills aimed at cutting tobacco consumption that was signed into law yesterday by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio, speaking at a bill-signing ceremony in Brooklyn, said the seven bills approved by the City Council earlier this month were aimed at cutting the number of smokers in the city by 17 per cent, or 160,000 users by the end of 2020. According to data provided by the mayor's office there are currently 900,000 smokers in the city.

''When we think about the health of New Yorkers big tobacco is public enemy number one,'' de Blasio said.

De Blasio signed the bills at the Kings County Hospital, where top city health and human services officials were present.

Referring to the proposals as ''life-saving bills,'' De Blasio noted that 12,000 city residents died last year from diseases linked to smoking including cancer and pneumonia.

Included in the package of bills is one that calls for a ban on cigarette sales in pharmacies that will go into effect January 2019 and a 10-per cent tax on other tobacco products, such as cigars and loose tobacco, that will be imposed starting 1 June 2018.

"We are sending a loud and clear message that we will not let their greed kill any more New Yorkers without a fight,'' de Blasio said. "These new laws will not only help reduce the number of smokers in our city, but also save lives.''

He added, the minimum price for a pack of cigarettes will increase from $10.50 to $13, the highest base price for cigarettes in the nation.