The price of the package of the brand most consumed by French smokers crosses the symbolic milestone of 10 euros, on this Sunday, March 1. An additional step in a policy of substantial price increases, the first effects of which are being felt on consumption.

The course taken is symbolic: some packets of cigarettes, notably Malboro, the brand most consumed by French smokers, cross the 10-euro mark on Sunday, March 1. An increase that is part of the price increase policy decided by the government in 2017, to lower consumption.

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Patch sales soar

And according to the latest figures available, the strategy pays: we buy fewer and fewer cigarettes in France. Sales fell by almost 8% between January 2019 and January 2020, following the downward trend that has started in recent years. Patch sales have soared. It must be said that over the same period (between 2017 and 2020), the Malboro package therefore increased from 7 to 10 euros, the government successively increasing its taxes. A final such increase is expected in November.

But if consumption declines, it has no impact on public finances, on the contrary. Indeed, the rise in prices is faster than the fall in sales. Suddenly, tobacco now brings more to the state, which hopes to recover 400 million euros in additional revenue this year.

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