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The European Commission is preparing new tobacco legislation. It is about to tighten their taxes, educate consumers and reduce the number of smokers in the European Union to a minimum. The revision of the Tobacco Products Directive is intended to ensure this.
Smokers can probably expect their favorite products to rise in price soon. The directive, which is subject to the taxation of tobacco products, was last amended in 2011. The European Commission is currently reviewing it and should present a revision this year. It is not yet clear how it will tax new tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes or heated tobacco. But it is almost certain that taxation will be stricter than before.
“The Commission is committed to ensuring that European Union rules on tobacco and alcohol taxation simultaneously meet two objectives: to protect public health and to support public finances,” Jitka Mikulášová, on behalf of the European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic, wrote to TN.cz.
Philip Morris, one of the largest sellers of tobacco products, considers tax increases natural. “The current minimum rates of excise duties on tobacco have been in force in the EU since 2014 and it is therefore clear that they should be valorised after some time, just as tax rates are gradually increased in the Czech Republic. In our view, it is important that tax policy provides sufficient predictability of the economic environment and at the same time motivated producers and consumers to switch to less harmful alternatives, “said Petr Šebka on behalf of the company for the TN.cz editorial office.
According to the tobacco retailer, the tax rates for individual products should be commensurate with their harmfulness. “Cigarettes should be taxed the most. Rates should be raised regularly and gradually. The state should avoid sharp fluctuations, which can stimulate criminal activity and buying on the black market,” said Šebka. According to him, new products should also be adequately taxed according to their harmfulness.
However, the company does not dare to estimate how stricter taxation could be reflected in product prices. “There is no such estimate,” the company said. According to news server tvnoviny.sk should increase the price not only of classic cigarettes, but also of their alternatives. Smokers will also pay extra for heated tobacco or e-cigarettes. In Slovakia, according to the server, a box of cigarettes should increase by 20 cents next year and by another 20 cents in 2023.
The European Commission is following the Cancer Plan, in which it has published relatively ambitious targets. By the end of the decade, only 5 percent of Europeans would like to smoke. Currently, around 25 percent of the European population is a smoker. This should create a “tobacco-free generation” in Europe.
TN.cz
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