Wagga Wagga City Councillor Richard Foley remains critical of the NSW Government’s crackdown on illicit tobacco and vapes. Photo: Supplied.
The NSW Government has announced a new taskforce to reduce the rising trade in illicit tobacco sales in the state, but not everyone is convinced by the intended methods of combating the problem.
Since the beginning of 2025, nearly $10 million worth of illegal cigarettes and vapes has been seized in NSW alone, with Wagga recording one of the biggest busts so far this year back in March.
Despite the government announcing its commitment to the crackdown, Wagga Wagga City Councillor Richard Foley believes the driving forces behind the growing number of cigarette fronts are the high prices and taxes on legally obtainable tobacco.
“I think we wouldn’t have the issue if they didn’t have such exorbitant taxes on the cigarettes in the first place,” he said.
“I think it’s interesting that, in my personal view, the government gets into action so quickly when it’s missing a bit of revenue. In saying that, no-one is encouraging or condoning illicit tobacco sales.
“People are paying well over what they normally would for a packet of cigarettes, and that encourages black market sales.
“It’s becoming unaffordable. So you can see why people have gone down the direction of purchasing illegal tobacco in a cost-of-living crisis.”
Cr Foley said if people chose to smoke, it was entirely their decision and the government shouldn’t enforce taxes as prohibitive measures.
“If people want to smoke and ruin their health, they’ve got the choice to do so,” he said.
“They’re trying to stamp it out by taxation and taxation compliance at a prohibitive cost. But some people still aren’t giving up.
“Should people give up and stop smoking? Yes, absolutely. But these are personal health issues that people have to take on their own. These takes will just drive the black market further underground, and the criminals supplying them will only get smarter.”
Cr Foley also expressed his concerns and frustrations about the growing number of new tobacconists and fronts setting up in Wagga’s main streets.
“They’re obviously fronts for these illicit operations,” he said.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, the market is there for these locations to do so. That’s why they still exist, and there’ll probably be a lot more to come.
“There’ll be big fines, and it’ll probably stamp out a few of them. The NSW Government will conduct a few good raids, but then you’ll probably find that someone will work some way around it, as they do in the black market.
“After all, the prohibition of alcohol failed, and it ended up with people making insane amounts of profit – just look at Al Capone.”
