Question 17941 — commerce and crafts

Summary

Mr. Aurélien Dutremble draws the attention of the Minister of the Interior to the economic and security situation of tobacconists, faced with the explosion of the parallel tobacco market. With nearly 22,500 establishments, tobacconists constitute the leading network of local shops in France and sometimes represent one of the last businesses still in operation in rural areas. Since 2017, the price of tobacco has increased by almost 90 %. If the fight against smoking constitutes a public health imperative, this policy is accompanied by a considerable development of purchases made outside the legal network. According to the KPMG report for the year 2025, 53.6% of cigarettes consumed in France, or 26.54 billion, were not purchased in the national network of tobacconists. France would concentrate nearly 40% of the illicit volumes recorded in the 38 European countries studied, for a tax shortfall estimated at 10.4 billion euros. At the same time, around 500 establishments have closed each year on average since 2017. Added to this economic weakening is growing insecurity. According to the profession, nearly 2,000 attacks targeting tobacconists have been recorded in 2024. The market value of tobacco stocks now makes these businesses prime targets for burglaries and robberies. At the same time, customs services seized nearly 449 tonnes of tobacco and recorded more than 18,400 offenses in 2024. Faced with this situation, the continued increase in taxation alone cannot constitute a response: the growing gap with the prices practiced in neighboring countries and clandestine circuits reinforces the attractiveness of the parallel market to the detriment of the legal network. He asks her So what measures does the Government intend to take to strengthen the fight against tobacco trafficking and better protect tobacconists against the violence to which they are victims? He also asks him if he intends to assess the economic, fiscal, territorial and security consequences of successive increases in the price of tobacco before any new increase.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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1. 8 September 2026

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• Aurélien Dutremble · auteur

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