CHAPTER 3

PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO CIGARETTES
Article 7
1
Cigarettes manufactured in the Union and those imported from third countries shall be subject to an ad valorem excise duty calculated on the maximum retail selling price, including customs duties, and also to a specific excise duty calculated per unit of the product.
Notwithstanding the first subparagraph, Member States may exclude customs duties from the basis for calculating the ad valorem excise duty on cigarettes.
2
The rate of the ad valorem excise duty and the amount of the specific excise duty must be the same for all cigarettes.
3
At the final stage of harmonisation of structures, the same ratio shall be established for cigarettes in all Member States between the specific excise duty and the sum of the ad valorem excise duty and the turnover tax, in such a way that the range of retail selling prices reflects fairly the difference in the manufacturers’ delivery prices.
4
Where necessary, the excise duty on cigarettes may include a minimum tax component, provided that the mixed structure of taxation and the band of the specific component of the excise duty as laid down in Article 8 is strictly respected.