A leaked European Commission document reveals plans that would raise taxes on nicotine pouches by 650 percent. The EU pouch tax proposal has been slammed as an attack on Swedish consumers and the country’s public health gains. 

The proposal, outlined in a document leaked to the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, reveals that nicotine pouches would be included in a new EU-wide excise tax. 

“This is an attack on a Swedish public health success,” Patrik Strömer, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers, tells Snusforumet. 

The new tax level would land at around 1,570 Swedish kronor (€143) per kilogramme, which amounts to an increase of over 650 percent on current excise tax levels for nicotine pouches, often referred to in Sweden as “white snus”. 

“It would be terrible both for public health and for all snus users in Sweden,” Samuel Lundell, chairman of the National Association of Snus Users (Snusarnas Riksförbund), tells Aftonbladet in reaction to the proposal. 

Lundell explained to the tabloid that the proposal would add 27 kronor to the price of a can of Zyn – a roughly 50 percent hike. 

Strömer questions the rationale behind the proposal – that smoke-free nicotine products need to be taxed higher for the EU to meet the Commission’s public health goals. 

“It’s absurd that the EU is trying to equate products that have saved lives in Sweden with cigarettes,” he says. 

“Nicotine pouches are one of the few alternatives that has actually led to reduced smoking. A tax like this could seriously disrupt that balance.” 

Experts warn: A public health catastrophe 

The proposal is expected to be officially presented in the fall, but both the industry and experts are already warning that the consequences could be far-reaching.  

Sweden currently has an EU exemption allowing the sale of snus within the country, but nicotine pouches are not covered by the same protection. 

“The European Commission states that the proposal will lead to a market collapse,” says Strömer.

He points out that each EU member state has a veto on tax matters and expects Swedish elected officials to do what’s necessary to stop the proposal.

“Swedish Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson was clear the last time a similar proposal was on the table, and she needs to act decisively this time as well,” says Patrik Strömer.

Snus: An alternative that works 

Strömer expects elected officials to take up the fight in Brussels to ensure the nicotine pouch excise tax doesn’t become a reality.  

Sweden has for decades demonstrated that smoke-free alternatives like snus are a healthier alternative to deadly smoking, and that when given the choice, consumers choose to help them quit smoking. 

“This is a test of whether Sweden has the strength to stand up for its own public health model,” says Strömer. 

“Active diplomacy and strong Swedish voices are now needed in the EU,” says Strömer. 

The Commission has missed the mark: Swedish MEP 

Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjärd of the Moderate Party tells Snusforumet that the proposal would mean “completely unreasonable” tax increases for Swedish snus users.  

She believes the Commission is “completely missing the mark” by restricting people’s access to less harmful products. 

“I will fight in the European Parliament to prevent this proposal from becoming reality,” she tells Snusforumet.  

“I hope we can gather broad support among Swedish MEPs to oppose this if the Commission decides to move forward with it. We need to stand united to show the rest of Europe that the Swedish model works—and that this kind of proposal would do more harm than good.” 

Polfjärd wants more countries in Europe to learn from Sweden, which boasts the lowest percentage of daily smokers in the EU. 

“Part of that success is due to our access to less harmful alternatives,” she explains. 

“Many countries—and the Commission—seem to have the attitude that what is new and unfamiliar is also dangerous. That’s why we need to spread Swedish knowledge.” 

Snusforumet has contacted Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson’s staff for comment.

Pragmatism vs. Puritanism

EU Parliamentarian Charlie Weimers (Sweden Democrats) also expressed his concern over the leaked tax proposal. He describes it as a heavy blow to Swedish snus users—especially those with low incomes.

“We must protect nicotine pouches from an EU tax that makes them significantly more expensive. This is at odds with the Swedish Parliament’s decision to pursue a harm reduction-based policy. The policy we implement in Sweden must also be promoted in Brussels,” Weimers tells Snusforumet.

He believes it is clear that the Commission’s proposal is driven more by ideology than by science, and emphasizes that the Conservative group in the European Parliament will take the lead in putting harm reduction on the agenda.

“There are two opposing approaches: the pragmatic Swedish perspective, which emphasizes that we are essentially smoke-free—and the more puritanical one, where the fight against smoking has been replaced by a general fight against nicotine. The latter seems shaped by a kind of bureaucratic activism that refuses to acknowledge the facts from Sweden. That’s a big problem,” he says.

He warns that the proposal puts at risk Sweden’s successful harm reduction model that has led to the EU’s lowest daily smoking rates.

“Sweden is essentially smoke-free precisely because we’ve had access to less harmful alternatives. That model should be exported—not punished with excessive taxation,” says Weimers.