Italians smoke less and less: good news for public health, but not for those who work in the sector. In 2017 sales dropped by 300 million compared to 2016 (-1,7%), a sum which corresponds to about one million kilos of tobacco less. For the Treasury, however, the revenue fell by 200 million (a small thing, in truth, compared to the 14 billion that the sale of tobacco brings into the state coffers every year, even 7% of total indirect taxes).
The data is provided by the fourth Report on the distribution of manufactured tobacco in Italy carried out by Logista Italia, a company active in the distribution of tobacco, and by the Italian Federation of Tobacconists, which associates most of the holders of over 54 Italian tobacconists. On average, tobacconists earned 7,5% less from tobacco sales last year than they did 10 years ago
The decline affects the whole country. The area where you smoke the most remains the South, with 34,8% of total volumes (-1,9% compared to 2016), followed by northwest with 25,3% (-1,4%) and from downtown with 23,9% (-1,6%). At the end, more detached, the North East coast , with a share of 16% (-0,6%).
Stable at 7% the cigarettes of smuggling, of which 61% come from non-EU countries. Considering all products, the illegal grape market covers 5% of the total and subtracts more than 600 million a year from the Treasury.
