Brussels’ own advisors urge: tax risk, not nicotine

STOCKHOLM – International health experts are urging European policymakers to rethink proposals that would hike taxes on lower-risk nicotine products, after a key EU advisory body warned such moves could backfire on both public health and government revenues.

A draft opinion from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive calls on the EU to adopt a risk-based approach to taxation and align taxes with the relative harms of different products.

The committee cautions that excessively high or poorly designed taxes can undermine smoking-reduction efforts, fuel illicit markets and ultimately reduce legal tax income rather than cut smoking rates.

Under the EESC’s “less harm, less tax” logic, combustible cigarettes should carry the highest tax burden, while safer alternatives should not be taxed at the same level.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and a former secretary-general of the World Medical Association, said: “This is the EU’s own advisory body spelling out what public health evidence has shown for years: taxing safer nicotine products like cigarettes makes no sense.

“If Europe is serious about reducing smoking, it must make lower-risk alternatives more accessible, not push them out of reach.”

Sweden is on the brink of official smoke-free status after integrating smokeless nicotine products with traditional tobacco control measures. In 2024, excise taxes on snus were reduced while cigarette taxes increased, reinforcing the incentive to switch from traditional smoking products.

The EESC’s warning follows leaked proposals from Brussels that include imposing an EU-wide minimum tax on safer nicotine alternatives, which would result in a 700% tax increase on nicotine pouches for Swedes.

Dr Human said: “We know what happens when safer alternatives are overtaxed: smokers stick with cigarettes, illicit trade grows and governments lose revenue. Sweden’s success shows that encouraging access to lower-risk products saves lives. Europe should follow that evidence, not fight it.”