Higher tobacco prices fail to deter smokers, says RIVM

The most recent increase in the cost of a packet of cigarettes had far less impact on smokers than previous rises, public health institute RIVM said in a new report .

Last spring, the price of a packet of cigarettes rose by 24% and that of rolling tobacco by 45%, taking the prices to €11 and €25 respectively. Prices also rose in 2020 and 2023 as the government stepped up its campaign to cut the number of smokers in the Netherlands.

But the 2024 increase only led to one in five smokers deciding to quit, compared with one in three after the 2020 rise. Last year, just one in 15 smokers managed to stop, compared with one in ten four years previously, the RIVM said.

Earlier research has shown that smokers are increasingly buying in cheaper EU countries such as Germany or turning to white label products, which are not legal in the Netherlands and have been smuggled in.

At least 62% of the tobacco currently smoked in the Netherlands now comes from abroad, the RIVM said.

“Pricing policy is losing effectiveness because of the availability of cheap tobacco products in other countries,” the RIVM said. “As long as tobacco prices in neighboring countries do not increase, RIVM expects the share of smokers that quit or attempt to do so following an increase in excise duty will decline.”

The RIVM now says the authorities should focus on making it less attractive to buy tobacco over the border, and that this should be done at EU level.

It also suggests imposing limits on how much tobacco can be brought into the Netherlands from another EU country. The current limit is four multi-packs or a kilo of rolling tobacco.

In addition, the RIVM is calling for a tax on e-cigarettes (vapes). “Besides their health impact, e-cigarettes are a gateway for young people to smoking,” the agency said. “After starting using e-cigarettes, young people gradually transition to real cigarettes.”

Figures published by national statistics agency earlier this week suggest some 16% of the adult population in the Netherlands still smoke. The figures show a slow decline in smoking, in line with the goal in the National Prevention Agreement to reduce smoking to below 5% by 2040.