The president of the German Federal Doctors’ Association, Klaus Reinhardt, welcomed the debate over raising the tobacco tax. He told the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday edition) that an increase is “right and necessary from a health‑policy perspective”.
Reinhardt noted that smoking remains “one of the largest avoidable health risks”. He added that international experience and public‑health research demonstrate that higher prices effectively curb consumption-particularly among young people. Such price hikes act preventively, raise the entry barrier for youth, and encourage quitting.
According to Reinhardt, taxes on harmful consumer goods serve a dual purpose. They create financial leeway for health care and preventive services while also making a measurable contribution to lowering consumption levels.
Earlier, Federal Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck (CDU) and other politicians from the black‑red coalition had already called for an increase in the tobacco tax.