TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Italy

  • Italy Accelerates Tobacco Tax Increases

    Italy Accelerates Tobacco Tax Increases

    Italy’s 2027-2029 Budget Bill would accelerate previously scheduled tobacco excise increases by six months, resulting in two cigarette price increases in 2027. The first is scheduled for January under Law 199/2025, with a second taking effect July 1. According to the bill’s technical report, a pack of cigarettes would increase 10 to 13 cents per pack, depending on the price category.

    The changes also affect other tobacco and nicotine products. The minimum excise duty on hand-rolling tobacco would increase from €165.50 to €169.50 per kilogram, while the rate would rise from 60.9% to 61.1%. The excise rate on heated tobacco, calculated against the cigarette equivalent, would increase from 41% to 42%. For e-cigarette liquids, the rate would rise from 20% to 22% for nicotine-containing products and from 15% to 17% for nicotine-free products.

  • Italian Authorities Seize 4.3M Illicit Vape Products

    Italian Authorities Seize 4.3M Illicit Vape Products

    Italy’s Guardia di Finanza in Latina seized more than 4.6 million items and reported 28 people to judicial authorities following operations targeting smuggling and counterfeiting, according to LatinaQuotidiano.it. The largest seizure involved approximately 4.3 million electronic cigarettes and smoking accessories found in a warehouse operating without the required authorizations. Authorities also seized about 300,000 counterfeit products during inspections across the province.

    The operations also targeted sellers advertising luxury fashion accessories on social media and included seizures at public events.

  • Italy Raises Prices for Selected Tobacco Products

    Italy Raises Prices for Selected Tobacco Products

    Italy increased prices by €0.20 on selected cigars, rolling tobacco, heated-tobacco sticks, and noncombustible inhalation products effective Oct. 14, following updated price lists issued by the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency. Cigarettes were excluded from this round of increases, as their prices rose earlier in 2026. The changes are part of the government’s plan to increase tobacco excise taxes gradually from 2026 through 2028. Cigarette prices are forecast to rise by an average of approximately €0.25 per pack in 2027, although actual increases will vary by brand.

  • Italy’s New Cigarette Prices Take Effect

    Italy’s New Cigarette Prices Take Effect

    Beginning today (Sept. 28), Italy implemented another round of tobacco price increases, with updated Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) price lists covering about 75 products, including cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and fine-cut tobacco, according to La Sicilia. Increases are as much as €0.30 per pack, with several Japan Tobacco International brands affected, including Camel, Winston, and Benson & Hedges. Examples cited by La Sicilia include Camel hard packs at €6.30, Winston at €5.80, and Benson & Hedges Gold at €6.80.

    The latest increases follow adjustments in January that affected Philip Morris brands, including Marlboro. The price changes are linked to Italy’s revised tobacco excise structure, which raises the fixed component of the cigarette excise duty from €32 per 1,000 cigarettes in 2026 to €35.50 in 2027 and €38.50 from 2028. Minimum tax charges for fine-cut tobacco and cigarillos are also scheduled to increase through 2028.

  • EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    According to Generation Sans Tabac, Italy and Greece submitted detailed opinions to the European Commission under the EU’s TRIS notification procedure opposing Ireland’s proposed legislation to tighten regulation of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The Irish bill would ban non-tobacco flavors, prohibit flavor-related product names, introduce plain packaging, restrict retail and online product displays, and extend these measures to nicotine pouches. Both countries argued that the proposals could create barriers to trade and conflict with the EU’s ongoing revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).

    Italy questioned the proportionality of measures such as flavor bans, plain packaging, and display restrictions, arguing that less restrictive alternatives — including stronger age verification and market surveillance — should be considered. Greece raised concerns over increased compliance costs and market fragmentation, particularly for manufacturers and exporters of nicotine products. The detailed opinions extend the standstill period for Ireland’s draft law until October 7, delaying its potential implementation while the European Commission reviews the objections.

  • Philip Morris Italia Launches €1 Million Academy for Tobacconists

    Philip Morris Italia Launches €1 Million Academy for Tobacconists

    Philip Morris Italia announced the launch of the Trade Academy, a €1 million training initiative developed with the Italian Tobacconists Federation (FIT) to support the professional development of approximately 45,000 tobacconists across Italy. The program offers digital and in-person training in areas such as leadership, business management, and public speaking, as well as university scholarships and professional development opportunities for retailers and their families.

    The Trade Academy will run through the end of 2026 and is part of Philip Morris International’s broader investment in its Italian supply chain. The company said the initiative is designed to strengthen retailer competitiveness, improve customer engagement and build skills across its commercial network as part of its long-term investment in human capital.

  • PM Italia Fined €7M for ‘Smoke-Free’ Language  

    PM Italia Fined €7M for ‘Smoke-Free’ Language  

    Italy’s competition authority fined Philip Morris Italia €7 million for allegedly misleading consumers through marketing claims related to its smoke-free and non-combustible tobacco products. The regulator said an investigation launched following a complaint from Italy’s Health Ministry found that terms such as “smoke-free,” “smoke-free products,” and references to a “smoke-free future” could lead consumers, including minors, to believe heated tobacco and e-vapor products are harmless or less harmful than conventional cigarettes, despite scientific evidence that does not conclusively support such claims.

    Philip Morris Italia rejected the findings and said it will appeal, arguing that the terminology complies with Italian and European Union regulations and accurately distinguishes products that do not involve combustion from traditional cigarettes.

  • BAT CEO Talks Investment in Italy

    BAT CEO Talks Investment in Italy

    British American Tobacco CEO Tadeu Marroco was recently in Rome meeting with stakeholders, and spoke with Milano Finanza about how the company views Italy as a strategically important market, citing its stable regulatory and taxation framework, strong supplier base, and growing adoption of next-generation products, which now account for around 45% of BAT’s Italian revenue compared with 18% globally.

    “Italy represents one of the most strategic markets for BAT and [is] one of the countries in which the group can concretely realize its vision for the future,” he said. “From Italy, we continue to buy tobacco up to 15 thousand tons, which will be purchased in the three-year period 2026-2028, supporting over 400 small and medium-sized enterprises that employ 6,000 people.”

    Marroco said BAT is reinforcing its European innovation and production footprint through its Trieste Innovation Hub, where the company is investing €500 million through 2027 to expand non-combustible product manufacturing. The facility is expected to reach full capacity with 16 production lines and generate employment growth linked to BAT’s broader supply chain investments, including continued tobacco sourcing agreements supporting domestic agriculture and SMEs. The company maintains its target of deriving 50% of global revenue from smoke-free products by 2035, while also navigating regulatory complexity and illicit market growth in key regions, which BAT argues can hinder innovation and undermine public health and fiscal outcomes.

  • BAT Piloting Facial Age Verification in Italy

    BAT Piloting Facial Age Verification in Italy

    BAT Italia announced that it is partnering with digital identity firm Yoti to pilot facial age-verification technology aimed at preventing minors from purchasing nicotine products. The collaboration uses Yoti’s age-estimation service, which verifies whether a customer is over 18 through facial scanning without storing images or identifying individuals, in line with privacy regulations. The testing phase has begun in 119 BAT pop-up stores across Italy. Customers scan a QR code with their smartphone to initiate the process, adding an additional layer to standard ID checks. BAT said the system is designed to strengthen responsible sales practices for nicotine products.

    According to BAT, data from an earlier rollout in Croatia showed a 99% accuracy rate. BAT Italia said the introduction of the technology supports compliance with age-restriction laws and reflects the company’s stated commitment to preventing youth access to nicotine products.

  • Italians Bust Illicit Factory Making 4M Cigarettes Per Day

    Italians Bust Illicit Factory Making 4M Cigarettes Per Day

    Italian and European authorities dismantled a large illegal tobacco factory near Rome capable of producing up to 4 million counterfeit cigarettes a day, according to statements from Italy’s Guardia di Finanza and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The main site, located in Pomezia, about 30 km south of Rome, manufactured cigarettes bearing well-known international brands.

    During coordinated raids, officers seized 27 tons of finished cigarettes, 19 tons of raw tobacco, large quantities of packaging materials, and four lorries (trailer trucks). A second facility in Ferentino, used for the storage of materials and finished products, was also uncovered. Seven men from Ukraine and Bulgaria were referred to judicial authorities on charges related to tobacco smuggling and trademark counterfeiting.

    Authorities estimate the operation generated products worth about €700,000 per day, or €240 million annually, resulting in roughly €160 million in unpaid taxes and excise duties. Investigators said the suspects used jamming devices and surveillance countermeasures to evade detection, with the sites ultimately identified through drones, video surveillance, and extended monitoring.