How Much Tax Do You Stop Paying After Quitting?
Key takeaways
This is our own arithmetic from the tax rates in our data file, not an official figure. Smoking 20 cigarettes a day for a year means 36.5 cartons of 200, so federal excise plus provincial tax comes to $2,769 in Ontario and $3,932 in the Northwest Territories. Over 20 years that is roughly $55,400 to $78,600 in tax alone, before the retail price and sales tax.
If you smoke a pack a day and quit, you stop paying roughly $2,770 to $3,930 a year in federal and provincial tobacco tax, depending on where you live. This is a calculation from the tax rates in our own data file, not a published government figure. At that rate, five years is about $13,800 to $19,700 and twenty years about $55,400 to $78,600, in tax alone.
How was this worked out?
We used three inputs and nothing else. First, the federal excise duty in our data file: $38.92 per 200 cigarettes from 1 April 2026. Second, each province’s or territory’s tobacco tax per 200 cigarettes, from the same file. Third, a habit of 20 cigarettes a day, which is 7,300 cigarettes a year, or 36.5 cartons of 200.
The formula is: (federal per 200 + provincial per 200) x 36.5 = tax per year. Multiply by 5, 10 or 20 for the longer periods. We left out interest, inflation, future rate changes, sales tax and the product price itself. Rates are as recorded in the file, with their own effective dates.
What does it add up to by province?
| Province or territory | Tax per 200 | Per year | 5 years | 10 years | 20 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $103.92 | $3,793 | $18,965 | $37,931 | $75,862 |
| Alberta | $98.92 | $3,611 | $18,053 | $36,106 | $72,212 |
| Saskatchewan | $96.92 | $3,538 | $17,688 | $35,376 | $70,752 |
| Manitoba | $98.92 | $3,611 | $18,053 | $36,106 | $72,212 |
| Ontario | $75.87 | $2,769 | $13,846 | $27,693 | $55,385 |
| Quebec | $76.72 | $2,800 | $14,001 | $28,003 | $56,006 |
| Nova Scotia | $97.96 | $3,576 | $17,878 | $35,755 | $71,511 |
| Prince Edward Island | $98.92 | $3,611 | $18,053 | $36,106 | $72,212 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $103.92 | $3,793 | $18,965 | $37,931 | $75,862 |
| Northwest Territories | $107.72 | $3,932 | $19,659 | $39,318 | $78,636 |
Federal excise alone is $1,420.58 a year at this volume ($38.92 x 36.5), which is the part of every figure above that is the same in each province. New Brunswick, Yukon and Nunavut are missing because our file does not carry a verified rate for them.
Why are the totals bigger than the savings calculator’s?
The quit smoking savings calculator uses the price you type in. This page covers only the tax slice, so it is a floor, not an estimate of your real price. It is also a before-quitting number: nobody pays the full amount for 20 years, because rates change. For how rates compare, see tobacco tax rates in Canada; for your own total, the cost of smoking calculator.
Is quitting itself free?
Not always, but some of it is. Provinces cover or subsidize quit medication in different ways, and some help is free; see what’s free for me, and compare approaches in how to choose your quit method.
Figures are estimates for planning. Actual prices and taxes vary by seller and date. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Is this what I will actually save?
No. It is only the tobacco tax part of what a pack-a-day habit costs: federal excise duty plus provincial or territorial tobacco tax per 200 cigarettes. The price you pay also includes the product cost, markups and sales tax, so your real saving is higher.
What do you assume about how much I smoke?
20 cigarettes a day, every day, which is 7,300 cigarettes or 36.5 cartons of 200 a year. If you smoke half that, halve the figures.
Where can I put in my own price?
Use the quit smoking savings calculator. It takes your own pack price and daily count, so the answer reflects what you really pay.
Sources
- Excise duty rates — Canada Revenue Agency. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Tobacco tax, British Columbia — Government of British Columbia. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Tobacco tax rates, Ontario — Government of Ontario. Accessed October 27, 2026.