It's time the Office of Fair Trading began to live up to its august name. The retail trade is full of ramps and fiddles but the real
rip offs like permanent 'Half Price' offers and 'Buy one, get one Free' are never addressed.

Maurice Smith, Medway, Kent

So its okay for the government to tax fags to discourage smoking, we all agree on the health risks these days but its not O.K. for the supermarkets to do the same sort of thing ,
can anyone explain the logic if there is any, I could do with a smopke to settle my nerves, pity I gave up years ago.

W Watkin, andover, UK

How dare they!

Don't they realise that artificially forcing up the price of cigarettes is the Government's job?

Andrew, Taunton,

I used to work for a major supplier to the then major supermarket chains and we had to tell each buyer what prices the other chains were buying at. If we didn't our orders, would be affected. got given shopping lists at Christmas time from the buyers telling us what to buy their families.

Henson Webb, Woodstock,

Ah yes the evil smokers clogging up the NHS this opinion is tired and unfounded compare the cost of treating smoking related illnesses to that of treating overweight children and their parents but there is no outcry for large taxes on unhealthy foods? we will choose to save ourselves or not thanku

S Willetts, Sutton coldfield,

Going by the majority of comments it looks like its time to put alcohol up to ten pounds a pint and car tax up to a thousand pounds a year. Fact, treating smoking related illness costs 2.5 billion a year. Cigarette tax revenue 10 billion a year. Profit to spend on non smokers 7.5 billion.

Cromwell, Leeds, England

Ah, but alcohol kills more people in the UK then smoking! The amount of noise there has been about the small rise in price of drinks! Cigarettes are a product that for better or worse are on sale to the public and therefore should fall under the watch of OFT.

Frank Lloyd, Cheltenham, England

So what! If people want to destroy their health by continuing to smoke after all the evidence that it is lethal, then let them get ripped off financially too. Hopefully, the small retailers will find its not worth the hassle of selling tobacco, & the greedy giant concerns will price it out of reach.

Anne Wotana Kaye, London, England

Good.

Fix the price...At 10 pounds a packet.

Think of the money people could save, the health service could save, and the people we could save....

M.Jones, Cardiff,

whatever, cigarette has harm to people's health, i wish they could charge more.

cty, zhejiang, china

Hahahaha. Welcome to the LaLa land of regulation in Labour land. Fix the price of fags? Yer 'avin' a larf. The government DEMANDS cheap fags and will go to any lengths to get cheap fags for our 'consumers'. Abuse of power monopoly/ oligopoly utilities? No prob, carry on chaps regardless.

Jonathan Spencer, London, United Kingdom

More Price Fixing eh! Suprise, Suprise!!

Bread and Mike as well as tabs! They price fix everything we need and use everyday!!

They should do a "three strikes and your out" method for these corrupt company's like Asda and Tesco.

Boss's should be doing prision streches. Fines are useless.

Andy T, England,

Tesco says: "We do not believe that Tesco has acted in a way that has harmed consumers."

Given that cigarette packets are plastered with health warnings I love the delicious irony of Tesco's statement!

Sean, Surrey, UK

1. Smoking is bad for you and the price of cigarettes is made high by tax to discourage smoking.

2. Supermarkets have been condemned for selling alcohol very cheaply and promoting drinking.

3. Supermarkets are condemned for collusion and keeping cigarette prices high.

How bizarre.

James, London,

Shocking. Next thing you know, crack dealers will be doing the same.

Eugene, heidelberg, germany