Around 30% of Tobacco Products in the Region Not Taxed

A large number of classical cigarette packs that smokers use does not feature excise stamps and their amount ranges from 5.6% in Serbia, through 38.9% in Montenegro and 40.5% in Albania.

The research within the project "Fight Against Illegal Trade Through Research, Education and Raising Awareness" has shown that the brands FM and Donatella are the ones that are most frequently sold without an excise stamp, and around 15% of the users in the region buy cigarettes in the street or at the green market.

The research realized by the Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship in Belgrade has shown that classical cigarettes are still predominantly used in the region, whereas cut tobacco is used by around 12% of the smokers, and modern vaping devices are used by around 3.5% of the smokers.

When it comes to the users of cut tobacco, in two thirds of the cases, it’s non-branded tobacco, which, in the region, most frequently comes from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the announcement says and adds that cut tobacco is most often bought at the market, but also in the street very often.

The researchers’ estimate is that, in the Western Balkans, around 30% of the tobacco products that are used are not taxed.

Visoka škola za poslovnu ekonomiju Beograd

cigarettes

cigarette packs

excise stamps

excise taxes

Fight Against Illegal Trade Through Research Education and Raising Awareness

FM

Donatella

cut tobacco

vaping devices