The Chairman of the Tobacco Control Alliance, Giorgi Bakhutridze, states that the excise tax on tobacco products has not increased since 2019.
Concerning the frequent price hikes for cigarettes, Giorgi Bakhutridze states on the air of radio "Commersant" that frequent changes in cigarette prices are due to the industry's practice of indexing prices every 3 months by 20-30 tetri, causing consumers to pay more.
"To curb smoking, we need a substantial tax hike. Crucially, this tax should be the same for all product types, given that, for instance, e-cigarettes are taxed at a rate three times lower," Giorgi Bakhturidze points out.
The head of the Tobacco Control Alliance also highlights deeply concerning statistics. Specifically, due to the accessibility of e-cigarettes, the product consumption among 16-year-olds has increased 2.5 times in 2024 compared to 2019.
