NZ Minister Denies Asking Ministry About Lowering Tobacco Taxes

Concerns the tobacco industry is influencing policy.
NZ Minister Denies Asking Ministry About Lowering Tobacco Taxes
Ministers Casey Costello (L) and Melissa Lee look on during a cabinet meeting at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand on Nov. 28, 2023. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
Rex Widerstrom
Updated:
0:00

New Zealand’s Associate Health Minister, New Zealand First MP Casey Costello, was questioned in Parliament today over authorship of a policy paper she sent to the Ministry of Health shortly after taking office.

The paper proposed a three-year freeze on tobacco excise, as well as the complete removal of excise tax from smokeless tobacco products, where the tobacco is heated to a vapour rather than burned.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.
Related Topics