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(Updates with further detail throughout)
Jump to full article: The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, 2009-11-10
Author: Adam Cohen and Joe Parkinson Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Intro: European Union countries Tuesday agreed to raise taxes on tobacco products sold in the bloc, in a bid to protect public health and boost government revenue.
Under the deal, starting in 2014, the minimum tax will be raised to 90 euros ($134.8) per 1,000 cigarettes, and no lower than 60% of their sales price. The current minimum rate is 64 euros per 1,000 cigarettes and no lower than 57% of the sales price.
EU countries have different tax rates on cigarettes and other tobacco products since many countries impose taxes higher than the bloc's minimum rate. Eastern European countries that joined the bloc in 2004 generally have lower rates than older EU members.
EU countries that don't yet tax tobacco at the minimum rate, or have only recently raised rates to this level, will have until 2018 to comply with the new tax level.
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