Hong Kong - The tax on cigarettes in Hong Kong was pushed up 50 per cent Wednesday to try to curb a worrying increase in smokers in the former British colony.

Financial Secretary John Tsang announced in his annual budget speech that the duty on each cigarette sold would be increased from 80 Hong Kong cents to 1.20 Hong Kong dollars (10 to 15 US cents).

The increase pushes the price of a packet of 20 cigarettes to almost 5 US dollars, still around half the price of cigarettes in Singapore or Australia.

"We will continue to step up our efforts on smoking cessation as well as on publicity and enforcement in tobacco control," Tsang told legislators.

A study last year found that smoking rates in Hong Kong have actually increased by around 14 per cent since a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars came into effect in 2006.

Anti-smoking campaigners have called for far heavier taxes on cigarettes and for the smoking ban to be enforced more rigorously. Exemptions have been granted for hundreds of clubs and bars. (dpa)