Sweden’s government has increased the tobacco tax which doubled cigarette prices per pack to US$ 6 in 1997

The initiative did not come from the ministry of health, but from the ministry of finance, which plans to receive an additional tax income of US$ 277 million through this move. Smokers reacted promptly by starting to buy cigarettes in Finland or in duty-free shops on ferries on the Baltic Sea. Sweden’s customs officials also fear a sharp increase in contraband goods. A Russian truck with 300000 cigarettes has already been seized.