Australians are giving up smoking in huge numbers - which sounds great - but it’s not all good news for the government.

A huge drop in the collection of taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and fuel has punched a huge hole in the federal budget, and now the Treasurer has to come up with a plan to make up the shortfall.

Today on Please Explain, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright joins Tory Maguire to discuss how the fall in the number of people smoking is making a big impact on the federal budget.