A study has found that last year's tax increase on tobacco led to twice as many smokers trying to give up smoking.
The research, funded by the charity Action on Smoking and Health, looked at the impact of the April increase, which raised the tax on factory-made cigarettes by 10% and loose tobacco by 24%.
Nearly 2000 smokers trying to quit were interviewed before and after the tax increase.
One of the study's authors, Ben Youdan, says while smokers often have a variety of reasons to quit, raising the price of cigarettes is one of the most effective ways of triggering them into action.
Quitline chief executive Paula Snowden says calls to the quit-smoking service doubled in the month after the tax increase.
However, Ms Snowden says numbers have dropped off since the initial shock of the increase.
She says the 10-year gap between last year's tax rise and the previous one is too long and the levy should be increased more frequently.
