BVTE protests tobacco tax policy with ice installation in Berlin

The Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE) has launched a protest in Berlin using a large-scale ice installation in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The demonstration aims to highlight the perceived negative consequences of current tobacco tax policies.

Jan Mücke, the BVTE's managing director, stated that despite tax increases at the beginning of the year, tax revenues are actually declining. The association argues that the German government is ignoring the impact of rising prices, which includes a growing black market. The BVTE warns that increasing the price gap between legal and illegal products makes smuggling more attractive to organized crime, ultimately leading to a loss of state revenue.

Pointing to international examples such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and France, the BVTE urged the government to reconsider plans for further tax hikes to avoid fiscal negligence and the expansion of illegal trade.