Until now, the tobacco tax system in the European Union has been fragmented because different member states impose varying tax rates on different products. Although electronic cigarette products are regulated under the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) in terms of health, there is still no EU-wide taxation framework applicable to them. In 2017, the European Commission (EC) called for negotiations on the proposed revision of the Tobacco Excise Duty Directive (TED), which will include such taxes.
The European Union has released a tax proposal to increase the minimum consumption tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes from 1.80 euros to 3.60 euros. Unfortunately, the proposal also suggests taxing safer alternatives such as electronic cigarettes. Leaked documents reveal that this plan is meant to pressure Sweden into setting its oral tobacco tax at an unreasonable level.
In a press release, Bengt Wiberg, the founder of the EUforsnus campaign (@EU4snus on Twitter), explained that the organization will now be using the hashtags #VetoEUsnusmurder, #EUsnusmurder, and #StopEUsnusmurder. They are also reaching out to harm reduction entities in order to raise awareness about this issue.
Leaked documents indicate that if the proposal is implemented, the cost of a regular bag of loose snuff will exceed 120 Swedish kronor (approximately 80 yuan) and increase by about 62 Swedish kronor (approximately 41 yuan) from its current price. Patrik Hildingsson, the head of public relations at Swedish Match, believes that this additional tax is unacceptable. "The heavily taxed Swedes may seem to tolerate high sponsorship, but I believe that we are actually crossing a line," he said.
Why is imposing heavy taxes on smoking harmful?
Snus is a moist powder tobacco product that can be placed under the upper lip for an extended period of time. It is most popular in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, but it is only legal in Sweden, where it is considered an effective harm reduction tobacco product. In fact, the use of snus has not only made Sweden the country with the lowest smoking rates in Europe, but it has also made it the country with the lowest incidence of lung cancer on the entire continent.
Bengt believes that the Swedish government has previously worked hard to ensure that it has the lead role in any decision based on smoking regulations and supports reducing the harm caused by tobacco. Therefore, he believes that the proposal will be rejected.
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