In January 2015, the pack of cigarettes is expected to increase by 30 cents. If this increase, announced on the RTL site, is effective, it will be the third increase in the price of tobacco in fifteen months. The previous increases were 40 cents in October 2012, 20 cents in July 2013 and 20 cents in January 2014. Thus, the package of the best-selling brand in France (M … o) will increase to 6.80 euros while ‘it was 4.60 euros in 2004 and 5.90 euros in 2010.
On September 5, the Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Marisol Touraine presented the first national smoking reduction program. One of the three axes announced in this fight against tobacco was to act on the tobacco economy. “In France 13 million adults smoke daily. And the situation is getting worse. The number of smokers is increasing, especially among young people. We can no longer resign ourselves. We can no longer resign ourselves to the fact that tobacco kills 73,000 people every year in our country, the equivalent of one airliner crash per day, with 200 passengers on board! ” she had declared.
RTL recalls, however, that “Bercy is currently in the process of firm negotiations with the tobacco companies”. Because some would refuse to pass this tax increase on the price of the package.
Another officially announced anti-smoking measure, this one: neutral cigarette packs and covered with warning messages and shocking images will replace traditional formats in January 2016. So far, only Australia has implemented this measure.
