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Measures taken in previous years to curb smoking, such as limiting the number of outlets and making products more expensive, were successful as the number of smokers in Hungary is declining by an average of 1 to 2 percent per year. It is time to finally emphasize the tax burden on the price of tobacco products (which is now 77 percent, and will increase again in January and April) and the preventive effect of the tax burden, János Lázár told the newspaper.
As he noted, at the beginning of the last decade, the share of consumers, still largely over 30%, has now dropped to 20-25%, and the decline in consumption of traditional tobacco products is even more significant. . He estimates that in thirty years he will hardly become addicted to traditional tobacco products.
Among other things, the government-announced increase in tobacco taxes, which, according to the Prime Minister, is not only an important health policy tool, but also external coercion, can serve this purpose. He recalled that the European Union requires all member states to achieve a level of excise duties, in which Hungary was lagging behind despite the continuous increase in taxes.
According to János Lázár, the fact that the national tobacco trade market remains stable at 650-700 billion HUF despite the decrease in consumption not only indicates that smokers need nicotine despite the increase in taxes, but that it also points out that the system is really well controlled. black trade was severely restricted by the state.
According to János Lázár, the number of tobacconists may be reduced in the near future, further increasing the area of supply of shops. After the commercial concessions have been delivered by the State for twenty years, the market can narrow in the first instance by not renewing the returned concessions, and in areas where there is a shortage of supply, a temporary license is issued only in more justified cases .
Cover image: Getty Images
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