In 2020, 17.2% of cigarette packs consumed in Germany were not taxed, reports Die Tabak Zeitung.

This means that every sixth cigarette smoked was not taxed in Germany. According to the report, this corresponds to a volume of around 12.8 billion cigarettes. Compared to 2019, it is 2 billion cigarettes less although the borders were temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and purchasing cheaper cigarettes abroad was not possible or only possible to a limited extent. This is the conclusion of a disposal study, which has been conducted by the Hamburg-based market research institute Ipsos. In order to be able to make a representative estimate of the number of cigarettes not taxed in Germany, Ipsos collects empty cigarette packets from the street and from waste paper and recyclables sorting facilities.
The proportion of smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes in the German market has fluctuated in recent years between one third and one half of the cigarettes not taxed in Germany. Accordingly, up to 4 billion cigarettes have been smuggled into Germany or can be classified as counterfeits despite the tough lockdown measures, the report said.