Health and cancer groups in Italy have launched a campaign to increase the cigarette prices by €5 per packet. Their aim is to curb smoking and boost funding for the national health service.
The initiative, presented in the Senate on Thursday, calls for a flat €5 excise tax on all smoking and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. Campaigners hope to collect 50,000 certified signatures by next spring — the number required to bring the proposal before parliament.
The plan is backed by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, and the AIOM Foundation. It marks the first citizen-led proposal of its kind in Italy.
“With an increase of €5 per packet, in addition to reducing the number of smokers, an estimated €12 billion would be raised for prevention,” said Senate Vice President Mariolina Castellone.
Health risks and smoking habits
Almost one in four adults in Italy smoke regularly, according to the campaigners, who describe the rates among young people as “worrying.” Around 20% of teenagers aged 15 to 19 smoke daily — a habit that often continues into adulthood.
“Despite stricter regulations in recent decades, too many citizens still smoke,” the organisers said. “Smoking remains one of the most significant cancer risk factors, and every tool to help people quit should be used.”
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Giulia Veronesi of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation warned that vaping also poses a growing danger. “Initial scientific data shows that e-cigarettes increase the risk of cancer and other diseases,” she said, adding that nicotine addiction often leads young users towards traditional smoking.
Economic and social impact
Smoking-related diseases cost Italy an estimated €24 billion each year and cause around 93,000 deaths, mostly from cancer, respiratory illness, and heart disease.
Campaigners believe the proposed tax could reduce tobacco use by up to 37%, citing results from France and Ireland, where similar price rises led to sharp declines in smoking rates.
“In our country, excise taxes are among the lowest in Europe — €3.19 per pack compared to €7.45 in France and €9.92 in Ireland,” said Maria Sofia Cattaruzza, professor of public health at Rome’s Sapienza University.
She and other experts argue that making smoking “an expensive and unsustainable practice, especially for young people,” is the most effective way to reverse current trends. They also stress that revenue from the proposed tax could be reinvested in public health and disease prevention.
