Cigarettes are now more expensive. They're harmful and polluting, but they bring in a whopping €15 billion a year to the state coffers. This figure will now rise to over €1 billion by 2026.

The first cigarette price increases introduced with the latest budget are now underway: from this year until 2028, prices will rise progressively. Starting today, in particular, increases of up to 30 cents for Philip Morris cigarettes will be introduced, while Marlboro cigarettes, for example, will reach €6.80 a pack. In the coming days, the Italian Monopolies will update the price lists for other brands as well.

In 2026 alone, the Treasury will receive approximately €900 million more. Cigars and rolled tobacco will also increase, but not "heated" tobacco, such as one of the well-known brands, "Terea." This is a market toward which large multinationals are converging.

The debate is set to continue: even if the resulting increase is lower than what was hypothesized during the budget discussion, it's worth noting that, for example, the oncologists' association has been calling for a monstrous increase of €5 per package for years. This would help cover the social cost, in terms of healthcare, that this bad habit entails.

But there are those pushing even harder, like the environmental doctors at SIMA. President Alessandro Miani explains: "If we're thinking about increasing taxes on goods harmful to health, we should consider a more comprehensive approach that takes into account a wide range of potentially harmful products. In many other countries, the idea of a 'sin tax' (a tax on vices) has been successfully applied to various products, from spirits to sugary drinks. This has not only helped reduce consumption of these products, but has also led to an increase in public revenues, intended to cover the associated healthcare costs."

And at the European level, the possibility of a directive forcing member states to implement more significant price increases is also being considered. Assoutenti has calculated the revenue for the Treasury: "The measure provides for a progressive increase in the fixed minimum excise duty on cigarettes, cigarillos, and rolled tobacco over the years 2026-2028, and redetermines the coefficients for calculating the excise duty on heated tobacco products. Specifically, the excise duty on manufactured tobacco will increase from €29.50 per 1,000 cigarettes in 2025 to €32 in 2026, then to €35.50 in 2027 and €38.50 in 2028. Assoutenti explains: "The minimum excise duty on cigarillos will increase from €37 to €47 per conventional kilogram in 2026, to €49 in 2027, and, starting in 2028, to €51 per conventional kilogram." "According to government forecasts," recalls President Gabriele Melluso, "the increase in retail prices of cigarettes and tobacco will guarantee an increase in revenue of €1.47 billion over the three-year period."

(Unioneonline)

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