The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) said today it was seeking a €2 increase in the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in the upcoming Budget.
The ICS said it was seeking the price rise to make the cost of smoking prohibitive for young people and low-income groups.
Norma Cronin, health promotion manager with the society, said it was laying the blame at the Government's door over the increase in smoking among 15-to-18-year-olds over the past year.
In Ireland 6,000 people die every year from tobacco related diseases
"The overall prevalence of cigarette smoking in Ireland is approximately 24 per cent ,but the rate is significantly higher among the lower socioeconomic groups. There is also a worrying trend with the numbers of young people taking up the habit, especially young women," Ms Cronin said in the society's Budget 2007 submission.
"Research has shown that young people starting to smoke are particularly susceptible to price disincentives, much more so than health messages. If price can encourage the delay in the onset of experimentation with smoking, for many young people this will mean that there will be a clear reduction in the number of young people smoking."
The ICS said it was also the World Health Organisation's view that taxation of tobacco products is the most important government measure to discourage tobacco use in the fight against smoking.
Research has found a 10 per cent increase in cigarette prices can lead to a 3.4 per cent cessation in smoking attempts among young adult smokers.
It is estimated that 18 per cent of 15-to-18-year-olds and 33 per cent of 19-to-35 year olds smoke. Statistics have found half of all smokers will die from tobacco-related disease, and of these 50 per cent will die prematurely.
In Ireland 6,000 people die every year from tobacco related diseases; 1,500 people die from lung cancer.
The society is also calling for the exclusion of tobacco prices from the Consumer Price Index, which measures the monthly changes in the cost of purchasing a fixed basket of goods and services.
The EU has already recommended that its member countries exclude tobacco products from their CPI's to ensure they do not have an inflationary effect.