Government ready with bill to increase price of cigarettes by 25 percent

The government has proposed raising the price of a packet of cigarettes from 40 to 50 kroner over the next two years: by 5 kroner in 2020, and by the same amount in 2021.  

The proposal includes more neutral packaging, fewer in-store promotions and more enforcement of the law forbidding the sale of cigarettes to under-18s.

READ MORE: Politicians to raise cigarette prices – but will it be enough to deter young people?

Increase in young smokers
The number of young smokers in Denmark under the age of 16 has shot up recently. Some 16 percent of Danes aged 16-25 smoke, compared to just 3 percent of Norwegians in the same age bracket.

“Forty young people start smoking every single day in Denmark, and that is alarming because they risk dying from it if they continue,” warned Magnus Heunicke, the health minister.

“Around 13,000 Danes die from smoking-related conditions every year.”

A long way short
However, the increase is short of what Kræftens Bekæmpelse, the Danish Cancer Society, had hoped for, as well as several political parties, including government ally Radikale, which had suggested doubling the price. 

“If the price was raised to 60 kroner, the other strategies would work much better,” Kræftens Bekæmpelse head Jesper Fisker told DR.

The World Health Organization, under the Tobacco Free Initiative, recommends that governments place a 70 percent tax on tobacco products. Today, cigarettes in Denmark are taxed at a rate of just 54.15 percent.