Figures released by the Public Health England PHE have revealed that standardized packaging of tobacco products could help the UK save up to £ 500m.
These new figures follow a data released by the Australian treasury in December 2012, which show a fall of about 3.4% in tobacco sales after the implementation of standardized packing.
The UK Department of Health had published draft regulations in June 2014 for consultation on the proposed requirements for the packaging of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The draft regulations included proposals on the colour of the packet, text and typeface, and appearance of individual cigarettes.
The estimated figures show that the introduction of standardized packaging will benefit London by £61.3m, Birmingham by £9.2m, Hull by £4.4m and Plymouth by £3.3m.
The study reveals that the money saved by customers from reduced spending on tobacco is likely to be spent elsewhere, which would benefit local businesses more.
PHE national director of health and wellbeing Kevin Fenton said: "Smoking remains the biggest cause of premature mortality in England, accounting for 80,000 deaths every year. Standardised packaging is a powerful measure that would help to save lives.
"The evidence from Australia is adding to the substantial and irrefutable case that the absence of attractive packaging works to reduce the number of smokers, as well as encouraging others to cut down."
