European countries with low tobacco taxes are being urged by health experts to catch up.

In January 2026, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated his call for increased taxation on tobacco products, emphasizing that taxation is the most effective public health tool. The measure's effectiveness led to its inclusion as one of the first articles of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a key component of any strategy to reduce tobacco consumption. Indeed, Europe is experiencing a wave of tax increases affecting tobacco products and, increasingly, other non-medical nicotine products. This measure is almost always justified by public health objectives, particularly reducing consumption, preventing youth initiation, and reducing social inequalities in health. However, several countries such as Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland are still lagging far behind, hence the call from several health experts to take the step of increased taxation, while the European Union could soon decide on tax harmonization.

A campaign to increase the price of tobacco in Italy

Several Italian health associations have launched a national campaign aimed at introducing a fixed excise tax of at least €5 on cigarettes and new products (electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco).[1]. This initiative comes in the context of a worrying health situation: smoking is responsible for approximately 93,000 premature and preventable deaths each year in Italy. Associated illnesses include cancers (90% of which, including lung cancer, are caused by smoking), cardiovascular diseases, and serious respiratory illnesses such as chronic bronchitis (COPD) and emphysema.

The organizations behind the petition emphasize that raising tobacco prices is the most effective way to reduce consumption, particularly among young people and low-income populations. Numerous studies show that a significant price increase leads to a decrease in demand, with an estimated 37% drop in consumption for every €5 increase in cigarette prices.

According to the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), the AIOM Foundation, the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, this measure could prevent thousands of deaths. It would also reduce the economic burden of smoking-related illnesses on the healthcare system, whose direct and indirect costs amount to €26 billion.

The proposal takes the form of a petition for a citizens' initiative law, aiming to enshrine this price increase in legislation. Fifty thousand signatures are needed to submit the bill to Parliament, which will then examine it.

Beyond the fiscal aspect, the campaign aims to raise public awareness of the risks of smoking and encourage a broader debate on prevention. Many healthcare professionals support this approach, advocating for a significant tax increase. They consider it essential for reducing smoking. The stakes are high: smoking affects 18.2% of the adult population and 10% of those under 19.[2].

" International experience has shown that drastically increasing the price of cigarettes is an effective strategy for significantly reducing the number of smokers. », concluded Massimo Di Maio, president of the AIOM[3].

Healthcare professionals in Luxembourg make a similar observation.

In a new report, the Health Observatory has compiled a list of the most effective measures to combat chronic diseases (cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, mental disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, diseases of the nervous system, and depression). These diseases accounted for 73% of deaths in Luxembourg in 2023.[4]. Smoking has been identified as the common factor and the main risk factor among the 4 avoidable behaviors that promote the occurrence of these diseases.

The authors of the report note that the provisions of the WHO's FCTC have been partially implemented in Luxembourg. In particular, with regard to taxation:« Tobacco products remain inexpensive and lightly taxed. »", And "« Raising the price of tobacco could lead to a rapid and significant reduction in the burden of chronic diseases. The larger the increase in the price of tobacco, the greater the benefits to public health. »", particularly among people with low levels of education who are more affected by smoking.

In 2024, excise duties for a pack of 20 cigarettes were €2.86 in Luxembourg, compared to €3.63 in Germany, €6.22 in Belgium and €7.45 in France, the report authors note.

While a price increase of 10% would reduce consumption by approximately 3% in Luxembourg, authorities could even reduce smoking by 30% by immediately doubling taxes and, consequently, the price of tobacco products. This initial massive increase would be followed by further significant increases of 10% each year for four years. According to the Observatory, the effect of the price increase would be visible within the first five years, or even sooner.

This policy of raising prices is supported by the population: a recent survey conducted in 2025 indicated that more than seven out of ten residents declared themselves in favour of an increase in the price of all tobacco products.

In a country where the standard of living per capita is among the highest in the world, this affordability of tobacco products translates into a high prevalence. In Luxembourg, in 2022, 19.1% of adolescents aged 11 to 18 had already used tobacco at some point in their lives..

This policy of low taxation on tobacco products in Luxembourg is deliberate on the part of the government. It aims to attract smokers from neighboring countries where tobacco prices are significantly higher. It is quite simply a form of tax dumping concerning tobacco and other products such as alcohol, made possible by the oversupply of this market by tobacco manufacturers.

In Switzerland, experts are also raising the alarm

The Swiss Association for Tobacco Prevention recently warned that low taxation, largely influenced by the interests of the tobacco industry, continues to seriously harm public health.[6]. In Switzerland, the taxation of cigarettes has remained virtually unchanged since 2013, a result of persistent and organized opposition from the pro-tobacco lobby in Parliament.

The association cites, in particular, the low price of cigarette packs (equivalent to approximately €9.80), nicotine sachets (approximately €4.25), and heated tobacco (approximately €9.26). These prices are lower than those in countries like Finland, France, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, where increased taxation has significantly raised product prices.

As for heated tobacco products, these still benefit from preferential tax treatment, with a tax rate of approximately 16%, which the association considers largely insufficient given their health risks and growing popularity. Finally, the association points out that electronic cigarettes and their e-liquids have long escaped any specific taxation despite their addictive and toxic nature.

Towards a possible harmonization of tobacco and nicotine taxation in the EU, subject to combating aggressive lobbying

Except for Switzerland, which is not part of the European Union, and although tax policy remains a competence of the Member States, discussions on the tax harmonization of tobacco taxation in the EU took an important step forward in 2025, with the European Commission's proposal to revise the Tobacco Tax Directive (Directive 2011/64/EU), a framework that had remained unchanged for more than a decade.

This revision aims to raise minimum excise duty rates, increasing the European minimum levy on tobacco from €90 to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes, to reduce price differences between Member States and to extend taxation to all products containing nicotine, including heated tobacco, e-liquids and nicotine sachets.

The objective is both to strengthen the effectiveness of taxes as a public health tool and to adapt taxation to rapid market developments, in line with the European cancer strategy. The Commission emphasizes that current tax disparities weaken the deterrent effect of prices and encourage cross-border shopping.

Entry into force around 2028 would be possible, subject to the outcome of the ongoing legislative negotiations, and if Member States fight against the very strong lobbying of the tobacco industry and its representatives, which is trying to slow down or even cancel this implementation.

As an example, the European Commission suspects that thousands of pro-industry comments that appeared within minutes in the public consultation on the proposed increase in EU tobacco taxes were not individual feedback but "probably" a coordinated attempt to distort public reaction[1]. Falsified contributions, purportedly from public health experts, were also received.

David Boublil, from the Commission's tax service, warned that the tobacco industry's lobbying on this issue was "« gigantic »", knowing that Citizen mobilization and spam in online political consultations is a long-standing influence strategy employed by industry and its allies..

©Generation Without Tobacco

AD

[1]Sonia Orrù, Add your cigarette: leave the countryside for safety, Unica Radio, published on January 28, 2026, accessed on January 29, 2026

[2]Drope J, Hamill S, Country profile: Italy, Tobacco Atlas, New York: Vital Strategies and Economics for Health, updated in 2025, accessed January 29, 2026

[3]Smoking, 27% of cancer cases and 26 bn costs: Italy's first campaign to increase the price of cigarettes by 5 euro, Il Sole 24 Ore, published on January 23, 2026, accessed on January 29, 2026

[4]Ducomble T, Rausch K, Seuring T, Urbain M, Chiolero A, Gesond Gesellschaft duerch Präventioun. Reducing the burden of chronic diseases in Luxembourg: Assessment of key health determinants to guide primary prevention interventions, National Health Observatory, published in 2026, accessed on January 29, 2026

[5]To protect your health, Luxembourg should... tax them much more, RTL Infos, published on January 28, 2026, accessed on January 29, 2026

[6]Luciano Ruggia, 2026: Europe raises taxes on tobacco and nicotine. Switzerland looks the other way., Swiss Association for Tobacco Prevention, published on January 23, 2026, accessed on January 29, 2026

[7]Rory O'Neill, EU Commission suspects 'coordinated' interference in tobacco tax feedback, Politico, published January 27, 2026, accessed January 29, 2026

National Committee Against Smoking |