EU Parliament Opinion Proposes Gradual Tobacco Tax Hike

A draft European Parliament opinion on the EU’s proposed tobacco tax regime overhaul introduces a cap on how high taxes might rise with inflation and a transition period to allow a gradual increase of rates.

The March 9 opinion, published Tuesday, was written by Tomas Kubin, a representative from Czechia belonging to the right-wing Patriots for Europe group.

The opinion responds to a European Commission bill that would hike the minimum rates on cigarettes across the bloc, and introduce minimum rates on new products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

Kubin included a 12% cap on how high ...