Are cigarette price hikes on the horizon? The massive tax is back on the table in the European Union.

Is Brussels ready to hit the cigarette sector hard, with a massive tax on the tobacco industry and beyond? The European Commission is reportedly working on a plan that could change everything. And not just for smokers. At the heart of it is a major overhaul of tobacco taxation: traditional cigarettes , rolling tobacco, cigars, but also e-cigarettes, heated products, and nicotine packets.

New cigarette rules: increases coming with proposed EU tax

A reform is on the table that threatens to skyrocket prices: revised excise duties, increases on cigarettes , and new taxes on e-cigs and heated tobacco. In numbers? The minimum estimated price increase for a traditional pack exceeds 20%. But in some cases, like cigars, it approaches 1,000%. A blow to the industry, in short.

It's not just a matter of public health. The goal is twofold: to increase the EU's own revenue and to curb the consumption of harmful products like cigarettes . This approach mixes pragmatism and good intentions, but it risks sparking internal controversy. In Italy, for example, the consequences could be severe: many smokers—especially young people—could find themselves facing unexpected price increases. Or worse: turning to the illegal market, which is already far from marginal. These are some of the concerns currently being raised by public opinion.

Cigarette price increases and a European tax with many unknowns

The EU's strategy doesn't stop at tobacco. Other instruments are also included within the same regulatory framework: a tax on electronic waste, a new tax for large companies, and even an additional fee on online purchases from non-EU countries. There's also talk of a domestic carbon tax, to be applied to gasoline and heating. In short, a dense network of levies, designed to support the framework of the next 2028–2035 budget. Enormous expenses are at stake: defense, green energy, and the common debt.

But there's a problem. Not everyone is on board. Sweden and Italy are turning up their noses. France, however, is pushing. Germany too. A unanimous vote from the 27 member states will be necessary, but far from a given. And while the College of Commissioners prepares for the official decision, scheduled for July 16, citizens are starting to do the math. Literally. Because behind the EU strategy, one thing remains certain: the price increases are real.

Tobacconists worried about price increases: "Smuggling on the way" against the EU's massive tax

An extra euro per pack. This isn't a joke, but one of the consequences envisaged by the European Commission's new plan to finance the EU budget. The legislative package, still classified but leaked through the corridors of Brussels, includes a shocking overhaul of the taxation on cigarettes, rolling tobacco, cigars, and even alternative devices like e-cigs.

Up 139% on cigarettes. Up 258% on rolled tobacco. Up to 1,090% on cigars. Numbers that speak for themselves. UIT president Pasquale Genovese is sounding the alarm: "We've already seen price increases like this. And the result? More smuggling, less revenue for the state." Not only that: there are fears of a fatal blow to the retail network. Genovese has already asked his colleagues from other unions to unite to stop the measure before it becomes a reality.