Shopping in Spain - Buying cigarettes and tobacco in Spain

Recent price increases for tobacco products in France and belgium have forced buyers to look slightly further afield for thir cheap European tobacco products. This has made Spain reasonably attractive and you can save a considerable amount of money

In Spain, unlike other European countries, the government sets an official price for tobacco producs.

The latest official prices can be found here

Tips on buying cigarettes in Spain

You can buy cigarettes and tobacco from Estancos or Tabacs, the official vendors.

These shops are open normal shop hours but often close at 1.30pm on Saturdays.

Some restaurants still have cigarette machines.

If you buy your cigarettes at a Spanish airport, expect to pay a little more than normal.

If you are exporting your cigarettes from Spain, make sure you keep receipts. We have heard of UK Customs confiscating cigarettes because receipts could not be produced, showing that you have paid Spanish tax on them.

When you arrive back in the UK with your cigarettes, the Customs and Excise have a duty to perform. However, it has been said that certain officers overstep their duties and responsibilities. As a UK citizen, you have rights too.

If you are not happy with the treatment you have received then make it known. Write an official complaint. An interesting read is the government guidelines on smuggling tobacco, here

So how much tax are we paying in the UK on cigarettes compared to other EU countries?

Massive sums of money are raised from excise duties and other taxes on alcohol and tobacco. For example the French raise over 103 million euros from wine taxes, in the U.K. we raise 2,983 million - over 29 times more than France. Even on beer we raise over 15 times more. On unleaded petrol we raise 2. 5 times as much as the French. On tobacco we raise more than 3 times as much revenue. Compared with Belgium its even worse, they raise just 1/10th the amount we do (U.K. 9.8 times more).

From the Imperial Tobacco Company - April 2002 - Cost of 20 cigarettes;

U.K. £4-40 total taxation £3-51, Rep. of Ireland £3-20 total taxation £2-49, France £2-22 total taxation £1-69, Belgium £1-98 total taxation £1-45, Luxembourg £1-61 total taxation £1-07, Greece £1-54 total taxation £1-12, Spain £1-54 total taxation £1-09.