DW Media reported that Germany’s coalition government is planning a steeper increase in tobacco excise duties than previously proposed, with draft Finance Ministry plans expected to raise the average price of a pack of cigarettes from about €8 to €12 by 2030, while also increasing taxes on fine-cut tobacco used for roll-your-own cigarettes.
According to German media reports, the higher-than-expected tax increases are intended to help close a budget shortfall while supporting the government’s public health objective of reducing smoking rates among youth and adults. The proposed measures would further increase the tax burden on the tobacco industry in one of Europe’s largest cigarette markets, where roughly one-quarter of the population aged 15 and older are regular smokers.
