Plain wrappers drive down cigarette sales

Cigarette sales have fallen since plain packaging was introduced, new federal government data shows.

The Treasury data, quietly added to the Health Department's website last week, shows 3.4 percent fewer cigarettes were sold in 2013 than 2012, Fairfax reports.

Plain packaging became mandatory on December 1, 2012.

Treasury's figures reveal an even sharper decline than the 0.9 percent fall in tobacco and cigarette sales recorded in the national accounts data from the Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau bases its numbers on a survey of households, whereas the Treasury collects information on every stick and pouch of tobacco sold in order to levy tobacco excise.

Treasury has until now withheld cigarette sales data from publication to protect commercially sensitive information.

Both the Treasury and Bureau figures conflict with industry claims that tobacco sales climbed by 0.3 percent, or 59 million sticks, in 2013.

The claimed increase is said to be sourced from data analysis firm InfoView, although the data behind it has not been released and critics say it is less than reliable than what Treasury produces.

Cigarette sales are expected to decline further at the end of this year when tobacco excise jumps by 12.5 percent.