The harmful effects of smoking on one's health are well known. Recent statistics showing an increase in local prevalence of smoking, particularly among young people, are worrying and show that, sadly, anti-smoking campaigns have not been successful enough. I believe that the price of cigarettes, if set high enough, could be a significant deterrent to smoking, particularly among youngsters with limited financial resources. Therefore I think it is time that the tax on cigarettes is drastically increased. Any extra revenue from this measure could go some way towards offsetting the huge costs incurred by the public health service to treat smoking-related diseases.