Impact of Standardized Packaging and Minimum Excise Tax on Tobacco Sales and Revenue in the U.K.

July 24, 2020

The United Kingdom fully implemented standardized packaging for cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco in May 2017. A new research paper examines the effect this packaging and a minimum excise tax—implemented at the same time—have had on tobacco sales. The research compares data from 10 months in the year pre-legislation to 10 months in the year after the law was fully in place.

The first paper to use sophisticated statistical analysis to understand the law’s impact on sales and company revenues, it found significant declines in both after implementation.

Impact of Standardized Packaging and Minimum Excise Tax on Tobacco Sales and Revenue in the U.K.