UPDATED 10.44am: The next hike in the price of tobacco is being interpreted by The Taxpayers' Union as a broken election promise.

The excise tax is set to go up by 10% from New Year's Day, meaning a pack of 20 cigarettes will include more than $16 of tax.

Taxpayers' Union executive director Jordan Williams said the excise tax is already three times what it should be, to cover the cost of smoking on the public health system.

He said by increasing the tax, National is breaking its promise to not increase taxes while it's in power.

Jordan Williams is telling smokers should stock up before Friday.

But a stop-smoking advocate argues the higher the price of cigarettes, the more effort people will put into quitting.

End Smoking New Zealand wants annual increases in the price of tobacco to continue.

Chairperson Marewa Glover said smokers hate it and see it as punishing, but bumping up the cost is proven to reduce smoking.

"It says the price is going up and they respond with no no that's enough, I really must quit now.

"It's just a waste of money."

Ms Glover is also suggesting easing regulations around e-cigarettes, which currently ban New Zealanders from importing and selling nicotine e-liquid.

The Government wants to make New Zealand smoke-free by 2025.

In contrast, tobacco is getting cheaper for more than 300 million smokers in mainland China.

The ranks of the country's smokers have risen by 15 million over the past five years to 316 million, but the proportion remains unchanged.

The 2015 China Adult Tobacco Survey has found about one in four mainland Chinese smoke.

The average price of a pack of cigarettes is a little over two dollars.