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Australia has planned for new rules forcing tobacco companies to use plain packaging carrying graphic health warnings. Starting in July 2012, manufacturers would be required to drop all color and branding logos from cigarette packs. The move which is billed as world-first comes after the recommendations were made by the World Health Organization (WHO). Australia also announced an increase of 25percent in tax on cigarettes that would be effective from 0001 on Friday. The move will put A$2.16 ($1.99, £1.31) on a pack of 30 cigarettes. The law will require all tobacco products to be sold in a standard style and will also carry government health warnings. According statistics, 15,000 Australians died every year because of smoking. Smoking is the largest preventable cause of disease and death in the country. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will hold elections this year and he aims to trim down smoking-related deaths to under 10percent by 2018. He added this will be the most hard-line regime for cigarette packaging anywhere in the world. A spokeswoman for Imperial Tobacco Australia released a statement that the company planned to fight the measure given by the government. Introducing plain packaging will take away the ability of the consumer to identify the brand from another brand. Cigarette companies value their logos a lot for it identifies their brand. The tax hike comes a day after the New Zealand government announced it would raise cigarette taxes by 30% over three years. Australia Plans To Implement Plain-Packaging Rule For Cigarettes is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading →