How the Le Monde du Tabac website relays the industry's discourse on taxation

A study conducted as part of the FELITAF project on the Le Monde du Tabac website indicates that out of 722 articles dealing with tobacco taxation over the 4 years studied, more than 82 % of the arguments put forward were against tax increases. The tobacco world presents itself as independent but is in reality linked to the Confédération des buralistes and the arguments essentially reflect those deployed by the tobacco industry.

Led by the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP) from 2018 to 2022, the Forms and Effects of Lobbying by Tobacco Manufacturers and Their Allies in France (FELITAF) project is a research program aimed at better understanding the lobbying strategies of the tobacco industry, particularly in its use of allies and third parties.

As part of this project, a study was conducted on the professional information site The World of Tobacco. Published by the company Porte-Plume, this site displays the purpose of "a treatment, for information purposes and without commercial vocation, of the economic, normative and socio-cultural news of the "world of tobacco".[1] The researchers of the FELITAF project have more particularly analyzed the presentation by this site of the tax policy applied to tobacco in France between 2019 and 2022[2].

The World of Tobacco clearly against tobacco taxation

Over the period 2019-2022, a total of 722 articles published on Le Monde du Tabac expressed opinions on tobacco taxation. The arguments used in these articles were distinguished between those that were in favor of measures to increase tobacco taxation and those that were against these measures.

Among the 2019 arguments listed in these 722 articles, 81.57 % took a position against tax increase measures, 12.23 % considered alternative options and only 6.19 % addressed the beneficial effects of tax increases. In the latter, the theme of reducing smoking prevalence in France was predominant. The alternative options notably mentioned the harmonization of tobacco taxation at the European level. The arguments against tax increases pointed to the loss of income and jobs for tobacconists and tobacco manufacturers, the supposed ineffectiveness of this type of measure and the increase in parallel trade. They also highlighted the social role of tobacconists. However, numerous scientific publications published under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) have highlighted the benefits of tax increases in reducing the prevalence of smoking, particularly among young people and the poorest people.

A masked platform of the Confederation of Tobacconists and the tobacco industry

Although the site The World of Tobacco presents itself as a site "information" And "without commercial vocation", the positions most often defended in matters of taxation mainly reflect those of the tobacco industry and the Confédération des Buralistes. French and international research has largely detailed these positions of the tobacco industry[3] : these consist of keeping tobacco products affordable and opposing strong taxation policies and an increase in illicit trade. These arguments are relayed by journalists, think tanks, such as the Institute for Economic and Fiscal Research (IREF), or retail organisations – represented in France by the Confédération des Buralistes or by media presenting themselves as “independent” but which are in reality linked to the tobacco sector.

The proximity between the site The World of Tobacco and the Confederation of Tobacconists had already been brought to light about ten years ago[4]. Jean-Paul Vaslin, Director of Public Affairs for the Confédération des Buralistes, is in fact one of the active contributors to this site, and is also linked, in a personal capacity, to the editor of this site, Sophie Méchadier. Questioned on this subject, Jean-Paul Vaslin had stated that he only wrote daily on this site, just like the Porte-Plume company, on a "volunteer" basis, and had presented this site as a simple blog.[5].

To learn more about tobacco taxation, see our decryption.

Keywords: Le Monde du Tabac, Confédération des Buralistes, tobacco industry, Taxation, Lobbying

©Generation Without Tobacco

MF

[1] The World of Tobacco, Legal notices.

[2] Baladi L, Béguinot E, Rey Pino JM, Gallopel-Morvan K, Lobbying against tobacco taxation in France. An analysis of the arguments disseminated on the French website “LeMondeduTabac.com”, poster presented at the 30^th SRNT annual meetings, March 20-23, 2024.

[3] The Tobacco Industry and Tax, Tobacco Tactics, published May 17, 2022, accessed March 18, 2024.

[4] CNCT, The World of Tobacco, a front organization of the Confederation of Tobacconists, published May 21, 2014, accessed March 18, 2024.

[5] Daucy L, Tobacco: the art of lobbying behind a smokescreen, Stop on images, published on September 24, 2013, consulted on March 18, 2023.