In 2017, the sale of cigarettes fell by 6,12% and that of smoking tobacco by 17,15%. This represents a very significant shortfall for the federal government. But the decision of the French government to increase the price of a packet of cigarettes could be beneficial to Belgium in 2018.
IMPRESSIVE DECLINE IN TOBACCO SALES!
New year requires, the FPS Finance has closed its accounts and calculated how much he has reported tobacco sales in 2017. According to Sudpresse, based on an official statement, tobacco sales have dropped dramatically.
In terms of percentage, we are talking about a drop of 6,12% for cigarette sales and 17,15% for roll-your-own tobacco sales. For the State, this decrease represents 76,83 million euros: 40,24 million comes from excise duties and 36,59 million from VAT.
When launching its famous tax-shift in November 2015, the Michel government foresaw the opposite. The federal government expected an increase in tax revenues of 75 million euros. If we add the 76,83 million mentioned above, the government ends up with 151,83 million euros less than expected.
Does this mean that Belgians smoke less? Not necessarily. But probably they buy less in Belgium. " Luxembourg benefited from an increase in purchases, particularly from Belgians“, Reveals a specialist in the sector in Sudpresse.
Source : Newsmonkey.be
