From today, Friday 13 February, lighting a cigarette costs more. And the third increase since the beginning of the year and marks a new passage in theadjustment of excise duties provided for by the Budget LawAfter the price increases of January 16th and 30th, it now comes into effect a further revision of the price lists involving cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and rolling tobacco.
In tobacconists throughout Italy prices are then updated on the basis of the tables released by the Customs and Monopolies Agency. In many cases the increase reaches up to 30 cents per pack, in line with the increase in the tax component. A "broad-spot" increase, which does not spare the most popular brands and which is part of a maneuver intended to produce effects also in the next two years.
From the first moves in January to the new crackdown
Il the journey began on January 16th, when an initial wave of price increases—up to 30 cents a pack—affected nearly 400 products, including cigarettes, cigars, and rolling tobacco. Some popular products, such as Marlboro Gold, rose to as much as €6,80.
A second tranche, January 30th, had expanded the perimeter to the other segments, including cigarettes and rolling tobacco. Today's intervention completes another step in the adjustment process, but it won't be the last. The measure includes already additional increases in 2027 and 2028, with adjustments estimated between 10 and 14 cents per package for each year.
Cigarette Price Increase 2026: Which Brands Are Affected?
The The price list update covers over fifty productsAmong traditional cigarettes there are variants that are very present on the market such as Camel, Blue, Orange, Yellow and Silver, and several Winston (Red, White, Blue, Compact and Expand) or products Benson & Hedges.
To give a concrete example, a Camel Blue package goes from 6,00 to 6,30 euros, while a Winston Blue reaches 5,80 euros. In other cases, such as for some American Spirit, the price can reach 6,80 euros. The changes are consistent within the individual product families, with a realignment of the per-kilo prices to reflect the new tax level.
Not just cigarettes: increases also on rolled tobacco and cigars
The crackdown doesn't just concern "blondes". finely chopped tobacco Rolling paper has seen new prices for both the 30- and 45-gram packs, with increases aligned across the different weights. A 45-gram pack of Winston Blue, for example, has risen to €12,40.
Retouching for cigarettes too, like the 20-piece Roll's Red, and for the cigar sector, which includes brands such as Don Tomas Clasico Robusto, Villiger Premium, and Davidoff Maduro. In this segment, increases are less uniform, but consistent with the realignment of excise duties on premium products, which already have significantly higher unit prices than standard cigarettes.
The tax lever: more revenue and rising prices until 2028
The price increases are due to the update of the specific excise duty on cigarettes, which goes from 29,50 euros per 1.000 pieces to 32 euros in 2026, then rising to 35,50 euros in 2027 and to 38,50 euros from 2028. The intervention, according to official estimates, should guarantee approximately 900 million euros of additional revenue in 2026 alone and approximately 1,47 billion in the three-year period 2026-2028.
Overall, between now and 2028, the expected average price increase on cigarettes It is estimated at about 40 cents per packetTobacco already represents a significant source of public revenue, bringing in approximately €15 billion a year.
The aim of the increases is to strengthen the revenue and, at the same time, discourage consumption of nicotine through the price lever.
About is possible consult all official tables published by the Customs and Monopolies Agency, with updated price lists.
