A controversial tax break for Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) in New Zealand, primarily benefiting tobacco giant Philip Morris, has been extended for an additional two years, pushing a planned evaluation of its effectiveness to July 2027. The initial tax cut, which halved the excise duty on HTPs in July 2024, was introduced by NZ First Associate Health Minister Casey Costello as a one-year trial, with the stated aim of encouraging smokers to switch from more harmful combustible cigarettes to t...
