烟草在线据《金融时报》报道编译　　据英国巴斯大学的研究人员说，因卷烟价格上涨而感到愤怒的吸烟者们应该把涨价的原因归咎于大烟草公司和最近的消费税上提。

　　根据巴斯大学的研究，在2006年至2009年期间，所有的卷烟价格上涨中，大约有一半是因为烟草公司涨价，而不是因为烟税上提。

　　就在烟草业不遗余力地辩称，卷烟成本的上涨导致了假冒卷烟或走私卷烟增加时，巴斯大学的研究人员发布了该研究报告。

　　吸烟与健康行动组织的调研经理阿曼达·桑福德说：“这一分析表明，烟草公司一直在尽可能快地提高卷烟价格。显然，它们对价格上涨对非法贸易影响的担忧程度，与它们希望公众认为它们对之担忧的程度并不一致。”

　　而制造金边臣的日本烟草国际公司和在美国以外地区出售万宝路的菲莫国际公司等烟草公司的研究，则试图将卷烟涨价与走私增加联系起来。

　　来自英国税务海关总署（HMRC）的数字显示，尽管在英国消费的非法烟草的比例增加了，但根据烟草业提供资金的研究，未纳税烟草的总量却在下降。

　　即使在削减其他产品的税率时，如啤酒税率，英国政府也一直在提高烟草产品的关税。

　　据烟草制造商协会说，在2011年至2012年间，征收的烟草产品消费税达95亿英镑。尽管英国消费的卷烟数量下降了，但消费税收入仍然比2007年的81亿英镑增长了。

　　日本烟草国际公司的企业事务负责人保罗·威廉姆斯说：“吸烟与健康行动组织再次证明，罔顾事实，编造故事是无济于事的；每盒合法卷烟的价格中，有85%是税，这会鼓励犯罪分子在英国从事贸易活动。”

　　在爱尔兰开展的一项类似调查显示，因烟草公司的涨价占卷烟价格上涨的36%之后，日本烟草国际公司和菲莫国际公司等烟草公司也开展了研究。

Cigarette Price Rises in UK due to Companies as Much as Tax

　　Smokers fuming about the rising cost of cigarettes should blame big tobacco companies as well as recent excise duty increases, according to researchers at the University of Bath.

　　Between 2006 and 2009, about half of the total price increases on cigarettes were due to tobacco companies raising their prices, not increases in duty, according to its research.

　　The report comes as the tobacco industry goes to great lengths to argue that the increased cost of cigarettes has led to higher levels of imitation or smuggled cigarettes.

　　Amanda Sandford, research manager at Action on Smoking and Health, said: "This analysis makes it clear that the companies have been hiking their own prices as fast as they can. Clearly, they are not as worried about the effect of price rises on illicit trade as they want the public to think."

　　Research from tobacco companies such as JTI, which make Benson & Hedges, and Philip Morris International, which sell Marlboro outside the US, have attempted to link higher prices with increased smuggling.

　　While the proportion of illicit tobacco smoked in the UK has increased, according to tobacco industry funded research, the total amount of non-duty paid tobacco is falling, figures from HMRC show.

　　The government has raised duty on tobacco products consistently even as it cuts duty on other products, such as beer.

　　The excise duty on tobacco products raised ￡9.5bn between 2011 and 2012, according to the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association. This is up from ￡8.1bn in 2007, despite the number of cigarettes smoked in the UK falling.

　　Paul Williams, head of corporate affairs at JTI, said: "ASH is proving yet again that there is little point in letting facts get in the way of a story; 85 per cent of every legal cigarette pack is tax and that encourages criminals to trade in the UK."

　　The study comes after a similar survey in Ireland revealed that price rises from tobacco companies accounted for 36 per cent of increased cigarette costs. Enditem