GREECE
KPMG’s “Stella Report,” commissioned by Philip Morris International, reported that Greece has the highest rate of contraband cigarettes in the European Union, costing governments €690 million in revenues last year.
According to the report, the illegal cigarette market in Greece increased to 23.6% last year, up 5.6% from 2017, while it was in this country that the biggest quantity of contraband cigarettes in the EU was recorded, amounting to €1.5 billion. The average rate of illegal tobacco in the EU is 8.6% of all tobacco consumed.
Taxes currently make up 85% of the retail price of cigarettes in Greece. For a €4.50 pack of cigarettes, €3.85 goes to the state and just €0.85 to the retailer, the distributor, and the tobacco industry.