THE Rudd goverment will launch a twin assault on smoking today by announcing steep increases in tobacco excise and laws requiring cigarettes and other tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging from 2012.

The excise increase, which will help fund the government's health reforms, will be short of that required to lift the price of a packet of cigarettes to $20, as recommended by the government's Preventative Health Taskforce.

Matthew Martin Credit:Matthew Martin

There was speculation last night that the excise increase would add at least $2-$3 to a pack of 25.

In what the Rudd government is hailing as a world first, it will also announce legislation to mandate standard packaging for all tobacco products, a move likely to incense the $9-billion tobacco industry. From January 1, 2012, all brands of cigarettes will be sold in plain boxes. The boxes will be the same colour and carry large, graphic health warnings. The brand of the cigarette will appear in a small font. The font style and size, as well as the position of the brand will be uniform.