Prices Of Tobacco Products To Rise Sharply In Belarus
Minsk hosted a conference "Market for Tobacco and Nicotine-containing Products in the Republic of Belarus". Pricing, taxation and other issues were discussed.
The discussions coincided with the upcoming harmonization of excise tax rates. For filter cigarettes, the current rate is 17.2 euros per 1,000 cigarettes in Belarus, compared to 55.5 euros in Russia. This has led to a flow of goods from Belarus, which has the lowest excise tax among all countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, to Russia.
The result of the harmonization is a significant increase in the price of tobacco products in Belarus. As the study shows, this will lead to a reorganization of the market. 27.2% of smokers surveyed said that they are ready to change their favorite brand if the price increases. In addition, 23.4% of respondents are ready to quit smoking if the increase is two Belarusian rubles (almost 50 Russian rubles).
A sharp increase in prices will lead to an increase in the number of counterfeit goods. Russia has already gone down this road, and Belarus is not immune to similar problems. Therefore, it is necessary to jointly combat the shadow market and actively learn from successful experiences, including public control.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the tobacco industry, scientists and civil servants. The moderator was Andrey Loskutov, President of the Nicotine Union.
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