Both cigarettes and tobacco can significantly increase

BRATISLAVA. Cigarettes in Slovakia could increase significantly. The European Commission is considering increasing the minimum tax on tobacco and tobacco products. And not just that.

Plans for a radical price increase have been postponed several times, this time they came from the Netherlands. The European Commissioner for Wopke Hoekstra taxes makes his « personal priority ». According to foreign media, the European Commission is actually dealing with proposal.

The Commissioner wants to achieve the so -called. Harmonization of prices. Basically, in some countries tobacco products are not significantly cheaper than in others.

So far, Slovakia is Slovakia. After the new prices in countries should be a bit equal.

For example, France, where a box of cigarettes costs 12 to 13 euros, has been complaining about cross -border shopping tourism for years. Therefore, it pushes mainly on neighboring states to increase taxes.

States would take even more

The Dutch Commissioner is known for the hard attitude towards nicotine products.

He came up with the idea in May, saying that he would like to enforce him until the beginning of July. It was supported by another 15 Member States, including Slovakia.

« We support the harmonized adjustment of taxation of these products, whether by extending existing legislation or by adopting new legislation, » the Ministry of Finance wrote in an opinion for Euroactiv.

According to foreign media, after the support of states, the Commission began to consider the proposal, although it was not included in this year’s work program.

Portals Politico.eu and Euractiv.com They also obtained internal work material.

According to them, the Commission names three different scenarios, but prefers the highest increase in tax, which, according to her estimates, would bring additional tax income of EUR 15.1 billion.

Cigarette tax could increase by up to 139 percent. The tobacco tax, from which people themselves are preparing cigarettes, should also increase by 258 percent.

The minimum tax on the two products would be equal to this. It is currently set at 90 euros per thousand pieces in Europe for cigarettes. For tobacco it is 60 euros per kilogram. After the new one for both products, the price should be 215 euros.

The Directive should also solve the taxation of alternative tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco or nicotine bags.

In Member States, they are now regulated differently because there is no excise tax valid for the entire Union.

The impact of higher taxation of cigarettes or tobacco would not be the same for all Member States for several reasons. Euroactiv calculated that one box of cigarettes would be in Greece has increased by two euros and Bulgaria by EUR 2.60.

Higher taxes and prices of tobacco, according to the escaped material of the European Commission, « have proved to be the most effective measure to reduce the total consumption of tobacco », according to foreign media in the document.

The Commission also argues that « the current minimum tax rates have lost strength in terms of an effective contribution to reducing tobacco consumption ». He claims that approximately 40 percent of the decline in smoking in the Union over the past decade can be attributed to taxation.

In order to go through the change, the European Commission needs unanimous consent of the Member States. For example ItalyGreece and Romania have asked that alternative products, such as heated tobacco, do not include the same basket as traditional cigarettes.

Prices are rising regularly in Slovakia

The average price of a cigarette package was 5.20 euros last year in Slovakia. In Poland, according to the portal Bild It was less than the euro less, in the Czech Republic they paid on average for cigarettes 50 cents more.

Cigarette prices in Slovakia grew for the last four consecutive years.

« The state regularly raises rates because it uses tobacco taxes to finance new expenses, » writes NGOs in its comment. According to him, tobacco tax revenue in ten years increased to Slovakia by 62 percent.

In increasing taxes according to INESS, it is difficult to find medical logic. « Heated tobacco, as a less harmful alternative to smoking, is taxed at a higher rate than cut tobacco, » he wrote.

From February This year, excise duty is also paid on smokeless tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, e-cigaretit cartridges or nicotine bags. Until now, they have not been subject to excise duty.

Not only nicotine fillings, but also all fluids intended for use in e-cigarettes are taxed after the new one-regardless of whether they contain nicotine.

This year, the state assumes that it will receive EUR 15 million. In 2027 he expects 30 million euros.

Health Minister Kamil Saško from his voice proposes to ban the sale of flavored nicotine products and disposable electronic cigarettes. He submitted the proposal for comment.

Saško wants to reduce the availability of products that contain flavors attractive to juveniles such as fruit, wheeled and candy.

According to the Minister, the controls of the Slovak Trade Inspection have shown that products can buy almost 30 percent of children. According to him, every fourth child also suffers from addiction.

« It is literally alarming that, according to surveys, at least a quarter, a quarter of the young population is taking some form of nicotine daily, » he said.

Tax advisor Alica Orda Oravcová considers it incomprehensible that Saško has come up with a proposal after the Ministry of Finance has been discussing the effort to introduce new excise taxes for more than a year.

« The proposal eliminates the entire consolidation in this measure and, moreover, the state will deprive the state for further considerable funds, » he says.