The government does not plan to increase tobacco prices in 2025

Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin assures that there will be no further increase in tobacco prices in 2025.

Present this Thursday at the tobacconists’ congress, the Minister of the Budget promised that the price of tobacco will not undergo an additional increase in 2025 and that its indexation to inflation will be “contained”.

“Excessively significant differences with our European neighbors can lead to a weakening of flow rates, in particular those installed in border territories, and to the persistence of an excessively large parallel market,” estimated the minister, invited to the annual congress of the Confederation of tobacconists.

He also announced that he would “contact the Commissioner responsible for taxation, in Brussels, in order to make concrete progress on tobacco taxation” to harmonize prices and “rebalance” cross-border trade.

A new operation to fight against trafficking

Another priority announced: the fight against fraud and illegal trafficking, with a new large-scale operation, Colbert III, planned for 2025. In 2024, Colbert II was carried out in fifteen airports and seven border areas, “it mobilized nearly of 11,000 agents including more than 5,000 customs officers.

“30,000 checks were carried out, 24 tonnes of tobacco were seized and 52 businesses were requested to close,” summarized the minister.

“Colbert II is a success, we will try to do as well for Colbert III,” reacted Corinne Cleostrate, deputy director of customs in charge of the fight against fraud, also at the congress.

While a decision of the Council of State in March changed the rules for importing cigarettes purchased in the EU and brought back to France, putting an end to the limit of one cartridge, the minister assured that “these new rules have in no way affected the effectiveness of the controls carried out by Customs.

An expansion of the monopoly of tobacconists

Finally, the minister said he was in favor of extending the tobacconists’ monopoly, currently confined to tobacco products.

The president of the Confederation of tobacconists Philippe Coy has been calling for a monopoly on nicotine for several months, while vaping products are now available in all kinds of stores.

“I listened carefully to the proposals made by President Coy and I hope that we can have this reflection in the Government, in connection with the Confederation,” indicated the minister.