– It messes things up for us. It is clear that we will notice a difference and that it will be a challenge, says Mathias Knutsson. On Wednesday, the government presented the state budget for 2023. One of the proposals is to halve the tax-free tobacco quota. This means that you will no longer be able to take with you an entire carton of cigarettes or a tower of snuff that you have bought over the border or at duty-free. The shop manager at Godishuset in Svinesund thinks the proposal is both sad and surprising. – It makes things even tougher in tough times. We have learned that we must adapt to what happens and make the best of the situation. We will have to think differently if the proposal goes through. If the proposal to the government is adopted, it means that Norwegians can only bring five snuff boxes across the border in 2023. Photo: Sebastian Nordli/news – It doesn’t matter if it’s five or ten boxes Knutsson has recently noticed a big change in the shopping pattern of Norwegians. Now they cross the border less often, but many fill the entire shopping cart. – We notice that customers do not come as often due to, among other things, high fuel prices. But people are happy to buy the quota, so it is clear that there will be a difference if it is halved, says Knutsson. The government proposes to halve the duty-free quota of tobacco products to 100 cigarettes or 125 grams of other tobacco products and 100 cigarette papers. The proposal also includes a halving of the quotas for liquids with nicotine for e-cigarettes and other nicotine products. Carl Henrik Riiber often drives across the Swedish border. Now he envisions more trips if the quota is halved. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen/news Among those who always fill the quota is Carl Henrik Riiber. He lives in Rømskog, half an hour away from Töcksfors in Sweden. He is not worried that the quota could be halved. – It doesn’t matter if there are five or ten boxes considering that it is not a large quantity. I just have to travel more often to buy five and five boxes in a row, says Riiber. NHO: Can make things worse The government hopes the change will help reduce cross-border trade, provide a more consistent tobacco policy and be beneficial for the climate and environment. NHO welcomes all measures that can get Norwegians to draw the card in Norway rather than Sweden. However, regional director Gjermund Løyning does not believe that halving the tobacco quota will lead to fewer shopping-loving Norwegians on the Swedish side of the border. – This budget actually proposes a continuation of, and in the worst case, a strengthening of cross-border trade, says Løyning. Regional director in NHO Viken and Oslo Gjermund Løyning. Photo: Moment Studio Hope Norwegians will cross the border more often The store manager at Maximat Töcksfors has no doubt that cross-border trade will be affected. Torbjørn Swartz says that tobacco accounts for between 8 and 9 per cent of total sales. – We are not quite sure how it will turn out. It is clear that tobacco and snuff are part of the cross-border portfolio, but not absolutely essential. But that cut is not good, says Swartz. The store manager at Maximat Töcksfors, Torbjørn Swartz, does not take a dark view of the government’s proposal. He hopes Norwegians will make the trip across the border more often. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen/news He still hopes that more people will follow Riiber’s example and fill the entire quota with each shopping trip. – But it can also mean that they come twice as often. We hope so. When people come and buy tobacco, they tend to buy more in addition.
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Will halve the tobacco quota – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
