Cigarette packs will cost more starting from January. 

The increase in excise duty will hit the tobacco market as part of the campaign to reduce the number of smokers.

Packs of cigarettes will cost 20 to 30 ALL more than their current price.

Apart from that, other tobacco by-products will also become more expensive.

The decision to change the excise duty rate stimulates this increase, directly hitting the wallets and pockets of Albanian smokers.

The tax increase policy is long-term and the annual increase aims to reduce consumption and the general mortality rate in the population.

This policy seems to have worked in recent years, with imports falling by around 1,000 tonnes from 2005-2010.

As a result, the number of smokers in relation to the population has fallen to 23%, even in relation to neighboring countries and the European Union. As for the level of taxation in Albania, it remains far from the norm of the European Union, where the excise duty is 90 euros/kg.