Marine Le Pen proposes freezing tobacco taxes to support retailers

Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate for the Rassemblement National, has issued an open letter to tobacco retailers supporting a freeze on tobacco taxes. Her proposal aims to protect local businesses and the social fabric of towns and villages.

Le Pen’s economic plan to stop fiscal escalation includes freezing tobacco taxes and de-indexing prices from inflation. She also proposed increasing sanctions against traffickers and street vendors, while expanding the powers of municipal police to assist in seizing illicit products.

The announcement follows a call for national mobilization by the Confédération des buralistes to defend local commerce against rising prices and the growth of the parallel cigarette market. According to customs data, untaxed tobacco consumption in mainland France resulted in an average fiscal loss of 4.3 billion euros in 2023.