Price of cigarettes to go up by nearly 8 per cent

If there are any people left out there who still smoke, life hereabouts will be becoming a shade more expensive.
The Finnish government is proposing to Parliament a ten per cent increase to the tax on all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, small cigars, and pipe and cigarette tobacco.
The tax on the finely-cut tobacco that is used to roll cigarettes would go up by no less than 25 per cent. Previously a 15-per-cent tax increase was planned for the roll-your-own-cigarette tobacco.

On average, the price of cigarettes is expected to rise by 7.8 per cent and price of roll-up tobacco by 18.7 per cent. The aim of the tax increase is to put an additional EUR 53 million into the government’s purse.
The government has also approved a bill, according to which all supplies displaying tobacco brand labels are to be kept out of sight in shops and kiosks.
The display ban aims to prevent the tobacco industry from dodging the law by capitalising on its trademarks for example in the sales of rolling paper or cigarette boxes.