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New excise duties rates for tobacco and tobacco products from 1 January 2021

01.57pm 09 December 2020

The annual indexation increase to excise and excise-equivalent duty rates will take place on 1 January 2021.


The annual indexation increase is based on the movement in the All Groups Consumers Price Index (less credit services) over the 12-month period to 30 September 2020.

The new rates are those set out in the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties Table (Tobacco Products Indexation) Amendment Order 2020.

The new rates are summarised as:

Tobacco Product Rate of excise and excise-equivalent duty from 1 January 2021 (GST excl)
Manufactured cigarettes exceeding in weight 0.8 kg actual tobacco content per 1,000 cigarettes $1490.24 per kilo
tobacco content (KTC)
not exceeding in weight 0.8 kg actual tobacco content per 1,000 cigarettes $1045.78 per 1,000 cigarettes
Smoking tobacco, homogenised or reconstituted tobacco   $1490.24 per kilo
tobacco content (KTC)
Other tobacco products, eg, snuff, cigars, cheroots and cigarillos   $1307.19 per kilo
tobacco content (KTC)

Tobacco and tobacco products removed from a licensed manufacturing area or imported after midnight on 31 December 2020 will be subject to the new rates.

If you need further information, please contact Customs on 0800 428 786 (0800 4 CUSTOMS) or refer to the Excise webpage. The Allowances and Charges page will be updated with the new excise rates for specific products on 1 January 2021.