A small pack at the counter, a price that shocks most visitors, and a policy that quietly changed smoking habits across an entire country. In France today, a single pack of cigarettes can cost more than €13, leaving many people wondering how tobacco became so expensive. Behind that price lies a strict system controlled by the government where even shop owners cannot change the price or offer discounts, but,
Most of the cost doesn’t actually go to the tobacco companies or the shops selling it. Around 75–80% of the price is made up of government taxes, while manufacturers receive only about 15% and tobacconists earn roughly 8–10%. With prices rising from about €3 in the early 2000s to nearly €13 today, France continues using taxation as one of its strongest tools to reduce smoking nationwide, therefore,