DUBLIN – The Irish Cancer Society and Irish Heart Foundation collectively urged Ireland's government last week to increase the tobacco tax by 50 cents ($0.67 US), the Irish Times reports.

The increase would generate €85 million ($113 million US) in revenue for the country, they said, while also discouraging young people from smoking. They charities also asked that €12 million ($16 million US) of the additional tax raised be allocated for smoking cessation programs

Chris Macey, head of advocacy for the Irish Heart Foundation, said fighting smoking requires a three-pronged approach, including taxation, smoking cessation programs and stronger smuggling controls.

“If we don’t tackle smoking rates by helping people to quit, we are in grave danger of seeing the benefits of the very progressive anti-tobacco legislation we have introduced seriously undermined, with addiction and inevitably deaths from tobacco, increasing,” Macey said.