According to a report adopted Wednesday May 29 by the Senate Social Affairs Committee, the price of a pack of cigarettes was pushing to increase to 25 euros.
Really ? The price of a pack of cigarettes increases every year in France, especially since 2010, and it’s not going to stop. While a package costs on average 12 euros today, a report adopted Wednesday May 29, 2024 by the Senate Social Affairs Committee proposes to increase it to 25 euros.
According to the latest “Report on smoking and stopping smoking” published by theOFDT, the volumes of tobacco sold in the tobacconist network decreased by 7% in 2023 compared to 2022. Cigarettes are down -7.5% while sales of other tobacco products (such as vaping) increase overall by 3%. However, cigarette sales are still 29,000 tonnes in France per year and the overall turnover of tobacco in France is around 20 billion euros. During the period 2017-2023, overall turnover increased by nearly 10%, driven largely by increased tax revenues (83% for the State, 9% for manufacturers and 8% for tobacconists).
And these revenues should therefore continue to grow according to the decision taken by the Senate. “In France, the prevalence of smoking decreases when the price increases by more than 4%”, notes the Senators’ report to argue the proposal to “increase the price of tobacco products by 5% per year until 2040” what “would make it possible to increase the price of a pack of cigarettes from around 12 euros today to 25 euros in 2040”. “As the World Health Organization (WHO) points out, taxation is the most effective way to combat smoking, which causes 70,000 premature deaths annually in France” can we read in the press release from the Senate Social Affairs Committee. Furthermore, the Senators emphasize in their report that “the current price (of a pack of cigarettes, editor’s note) is more than 20 euros in New Zealand and 25 euros in Australia. This average increase could be modulated to provide for an increase of around 10% in certain years (particularly effective in 2018 -2020).”
Not sure that the new measure will be effective enough to dissuade smokers from quitting. “I will continue to buy them” reacted several people interviewed by BFM-TV. On Cnewsone woman even said: “Even if a pack of cigarettes goes up to 30 euros, I will continue to smoke.”