Hendrik Streeck calls for higher tobacco taxes in Germany

Hendrik Streeck, the German government's drug commissioner and a CDU politician, is calling for a more significant increase in tobacco taxes than what is currently proposed by the federal cabinet. While the plan from Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil suggests a gradual increase of 40 cents per pack per year until 2030, Streeck argues that price hikes must be more substantial to be effective from a public health perspective.

Streeck, a trained physician, emphasized that noticeable price increases are a vital prevention tool, particularly for young people. He highlighted the economic disparity between the costs of smoking, estimated at approximately 97 billion euros due to 131,000 tobacco-related deaths annually, and the current tobacco tax revenue of roughly 15.6 billion euros. He expressed confidence that the Union parliamentary group would support a more aggressive increase in both alcohol and tobacco taxes during the legislative process.