{
  "id": 14807272,
  "title": "Smoking: Expensive cigarettes: Bundestag approves higher tobacco tax",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/rauchen-teure-zigaretten-bundestag-stimmt-fur-hohere-tabaksteuer-14807272",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-15T22:00:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/rauchen-bundestag-stimmt-fuer-hoehere-tabaksteuer/100262681.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "The German Bundestag has approved a law to gradually increase tobacco tax in the coming years, with the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes expected to rise from around 8 euros to nearly 12 euros by 2030. The tax hike is expected to generate an additional 12 billion euros in tax revenue over four years. The government hopes the measure will encourage healthier lifestyles, but the tobacco industry has expressed doubts, warning that smokers may turn to the black market instead. The law also affects fine-cut tobacco, used for rolling one's own cigarettes.",
  "summary": "Millions of people smoke in Germany, which brings the federal government billions in revenue from the tobacco tax. In the future, it is expected to increase even more. Smokers will therefore have to prepare for higher prices.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Smoking: Cigarettes may soon become much more expensive",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/rauchen-zigaretten-durften-bald-viel-teurer-werden",
        "published": "2026-10-14T03:15:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}