According to Sapo News, if previously the tax was set according to the price of tobacco, with the most expensive paying more tax, the new rules determine that the tax burden depends on the amount of nicotine in each product.

On the other hand, the Government also wants to 'punish' products that are cheaper (such as cigarillos or rolling tobacco) and that are therefore appealing to younger people.

According to the document, the extension of taxation to nicotine-free electronic cigarettes is also due to “the exponential growth in the consumption of these products in Portugal”, which constitutes, “on the one hand, a gateway for new consumers to adopt smoking habits and, on the one hand, on the other hand, a risk to public health from the lack of control over these products”.

In 2024, with the application of the new tax rates, the price of a pack of cigarettes could rise by between 30 and 40 cents, according to the Observer, if the weight of the increased tax burden is passed on to the consumer.

In the case of cigarillos, which currently have lower taxes because they are cheaper (prices around 2.50/3 euros), with the change the prices, in the same way they could double.

In the case of electronic cigarettes with flavored liquids, the tax is now 12.5% ​​and, if the liquids contain nicotine, the tax rate increases to 25%.

For 'vaping' cigarettes, vapor produced by liquid heated by a battery, the tax rate is now 50%. In the case of rolling tobacco, a solution for many when tobacco prices rise, the tax will be 75% of the tax on a normal cigarette.