France’s reputation as a laid back place to drink and smoke has taken a battering in recent years. Taxes on wine are very low but this is the only consolation for drinkers. In 1991, France introduced some of the world’s most restrictive laws on alcohol advertising, banning it entirely on television. Alcohol sponsorship is restricted to such an extent that when Carlsberg sponsored the Euro 2016 football championships, it was unable to show the beer or name the brand. Some radio advertising is permitted but only late at night. There are ongoing discussions about banning happy hour.

For smokers, there is a near-total ban on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising (only point of sale and the trade press are excluded) and an extensive ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and workplaces (some smoking rooms are permitted). A display ban is in place and France is one of only three countries in the world to have introduced plain packaging (in May 2016). Large increases in tobacco taxation in the last decade have left the French with the third highest cigarette duty in the EU. Despite this frenzy of activity, France’s smoking rate is higher than that of countries which have taken a more liberal approach, such as the Czech Republic, Germany and Luxembourg.

If that were not enough, there is also a tax on sweetened drinks and energy drinks, including low calorie varieties (€0.08 per litre). France has had a tax on energy drinks since 2013 and has recently discussed putting sin taxes on fast food and confectionery. Free refills of soft drinks were banned in January 2017.

E-cigarettes are legal and vaping is not banned but there are proposals to heavily restrict it indoors.

With thanks to Institut Économique Molinari