Smokers to pay more on cigarettes and tobacco

The government approved a rise in excise duty on cigarettes by about 5% a year between 2021 and 2023.

This should bring additional two billion crowns per year to the state budget. Higher prices should also motivate people to reduce consumption. This March, the cost of cigarettes rose by a record of 10-13 crowns to around 100-110 crowns per pack.

According to the latest survey of the State Institute of Public Health (SZÚ), the number of smokers in the Czech republic has decreased in the last seven years - especially among young people. Less than 25% of those over 15 years of age smoke at least occasionally. People are more aware of the health risks - smoking is linked to about 20% of deaths in Czechia.