Taxes and budgets

Excise increases voted, budgets under debate, tax revenue: what governments decide on tobacco and what it means for the price of a pack. Every article cites its official sources.

News

Hungary raises tobacco tax on 1 November 2026: Marlboro now costs more than in Austria

Since 1 November 2026, Hungary taxes tobacco more heavily. Marlboro Red went from 2,750 to 2,950 forints, or €8.05: it now costs more than in Austria.October 31, 2026News

Italy: two cigarette price rises in 2027, in January and in July

Italy's draft budget brings forward to 1 July 2027 the excise rise planned for 2028. Marlboro would go from €6.80 to about €7, still half the price it costs in France.October 30, 2026News

Poland: cigarette excise duty rises by 15% on 1 January 2027

On 1 January 2027, the fixed part of Poland's excise duty rises from 414 to 476.10 zlotys per 1,000 cigarettes. Marlboro would pass 31 zł, yet the gap with Germany keeps growing.October 27, 2026News

Portugal: the cigarette tax stays the same in 2027, for the fourth year in a row

Portugal's 2027 budget, tabled on 8 October 2026, leaves tobacco tax rates untouched, as they have been since 2024. Yet the State still expects to collect €139 million more.October 25, 2026News

Morocco: the 2027 draft budget schedules five years of cigarette tax increases

Morocco's 2027 draft finance law raises the cigarette tax every year until 2031: the minimum tax per pack would rise from 19.06 DH in 2026 to 26.92 DH in 2031. The tax on e-cigarettes doubles to 100 DH.October 24, 2026News

France's 2027 Social Security budget: tobacco tax freeze voted, then wiped out

On 22 October 2026, French MPs voted to freeze tobacco taxes, then rejected the whole Social Security budget the next day. The Senate starts again from the government's text, without the freeze.October 22, 2026News

Luxembourg raises tobacco taxes on 1 January 2027, but stays far below French prices

Luxembourg's draft budget raises the minimum excise on cigarettes by 8% on 1 January 2027, or 25 to 30 cents a pack by our calculation. Marlboro would stay under €8, against €13.50 in France.October 15, 2026News

Australia: a €25 pack of cigarettes, and tobacco revenue down by three quarters

In Australia, a pack of 20 costs €25 to €42 and the duty alone exceeds €19. Yet tobacco revenue has fallen fourfold since 2021: the black market now dominates.October 14, 2026News

Ireland: a pack of cigarettes tops €20 from 7 October 2026

Ireland's Budget 2027 adds €1 of tax to every pack of 20 cigarettes from 7 October 2026 and raises the tax on vapes on 1 January. New prices, the gap with Northern Ireland and the customs rules.October 7, 2026News

UK: a pack of cigarettes goes up £1.21 and vapes are taxed from 1 October 2026

Since 1 October 2026, UK tobacco duty has risen by about £1.21 a pack and a new duty on vapes has come into force. What it means for prices and for travellers.October 1, 2026News

Tobacco in Germany: the Bundestag votes four tax rises, from 2027 to 2030

On 15 October 2026 the Bundestag adopted a tobacco tax rise every year from 2027 to 2030, steeper than the government's bill. By our calculation, a pack of Marlboro would go from about €9.40 to €10.23 as early as January 2027.September 21, 2026News

Tobacco taxes: why the United States taxes half as much as Europe

The American federal floor has been stuck at $1.01 a pack since April 2009, while the European Union requires €1.80 and 60% of the retail price. A figure-by-figure comparison of the two regimes.September 14, 2026News

Europe wants to shrink the tobacco price gap between countries: what would change for cross-border buyers

A pack of Marlboro costs around €6.25 in Spain and €19.20 in Ireland. Brussels wants to raise the minimum excise duty to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes and 63% of the weighted average price. The file is stalled in Parliament and still under negotiation in the Council.September 10, 2026Guide

Why Are Cigarettes So Expensive? The Tax Share Explained

Over €13 a pack in France, nearly €17 in the UK: behind these prices lies mostly tax. Here's who gets what, and why.June 28, 2026Guide

How the world taxes tobacco: comparing models (Sweden, Australia, EU)

Specific excise, ad valorem, minimum pricing, plain packaging: a factual overview of the main tobacco taxation models, from Sweden to Australia and the European Union.June 28, 2026Guide

How Much Does Tobacco Earn the Government?

Excise duty, VAT and ever-rising prices: tobacco generates billions in public revenue each year. But does that money truly offset the health cost of smoking?June 28, 2026News

Tobacco prices on 1 January 2027: what changes in Europe, country by country

Increases passed in Germany, Italy and Poland, rates frozen in the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain: what laws and budgets have in store for tobacco prices in 2027.October 11, 2026