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There is no news to report from Malta, which remains in the same spot it occupied in 2021. It has no sugar tax, no e-cigarette tax, and its taxes on alcohol are lower than average for an EU country.
However, it is far from perfect. It is one of only two EU countries to have prohibited the sale of heated tobacco products (all smokeless products were banned in 1988). It was one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking indoors (in 2004), and the legislation was toughened up in 2013 to create one of Europe’s most draconian ‘smoke-free’ laws. Only hotel rooms are exempt. Smoking (and vaping) in cars with passengers aged under 18 were banned in January 2017 with fines of €50.
The Maltese government briefly banned smoking in the outdoor areas of restaurants under the Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act, but this was repealed in July 2020. The short-lived ban, which damaged the restaurant trade, not only banned smoking in outdoor sections but within 10 m of them.
Alcohol commercials cannot be broadcast before 9 PM and there is a total ban on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising. In 2018, Malta reduced its drunk-driving limit to the EU average of 0.05 g of alcohol per litre of blood.
Vaping is relatively common in Malta, but there has been confusion about whether e-cigarettes, which are regulated as tobacco products on the island, are banned in public places. Some health groups have claimed that they are, but in 2015, a woman who had been fined €233 for vaping in an enclosed place had her conviction overturned on appeal. The court confirmed that the smoking ban only applies to tobacco products, not e-cigarettes.
Adjusted for income, tobacco taxes are around the European average. A tax on wine was introduced for the first time in 2015, but at the low rate of €0.15 per bottle. It has since risen to €0.21.
In 2021, Malta legalised the personal cultivation and consumption of cannabis, although it is illegal to smoke it in public.
About
The Nanny State Index (NSI) is a league table of the worst places in Europe to eat, drink, smoke and vape. The initiative was launched in March 2016 and was a media hit right across Europe. It is masterminded and led by IEA’s Christopher Snowdon with partners from all over Europe.
Enquiries: info@epicenternetwork.eu
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Previous versions: 2021, 2019, 2017
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About the Editor
Christopher Snowdon is the head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs. His research focuses on lifestyle freedoms, prohibition and policy-based evidence. He is a regular contributor to the Spectator, Telegraph and Spiked and often appears on TV and radio discussing social and economic issues.
Snowdon’s work encompasses a diverse range of topics including ‘sin taxes’, state funding of charities, happiness economics, ‘public health’ regulation, gambling and the black market. Recent publications include ‘Drinking, Fast and Slow’, ‘The Proof of the Pudding: Denmark’s Fat Tax Fiasco’, ‘A Safer Bet’, and ‘You Had One Job’. He is also the author of ‘Killjoys’ (2017), ‘Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism’ (2015), ‘The Art of Suppression’ (2011), ‘The Spirit Level Delusion’ (2010), ‘Velvet Glove, Iron Fist’ (2009).
Malta 2023
There is no news to report from Malta, which remains in the same spot it occupied in 2021. It has no sugar tax, no e-cigarette tax, and its taxes on alcohol are lower than average for an EU country.
However, it is far from perfect. It is one of only two EU countries to have prohibited the sale of heated tobacco products (all smokeless products were banned in 1988). It was one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking indoors (in 2004), and the legislation was toughened up in 2013 to create one of Europe’s most draconian ‘smoke-free’ laws. Only hotel rooms are exempt. Smoking (and vaping) in cars with passengers aged under 18 were banned in January 2017 with fines of €50.
The Maltese government briefly banned smoking in the outdoor areas of restaurants under the Tobacco (Smoking Control) Act, but this was repealed in July 2020. The short-lived ban, which damaged the restaurant trade, not only banned smoking in outdoor sections but within 10 m of them.
Alcohol commercials cannot be broadcast before 9 PM and there is a total ban on tobacco and e-cigarette advertising. In 2018, Malta reduced its drunk-driving limit to the EU average of 0.05 g of alcohol per litre of blood.
Vaping is relatively common in Malta, but there has been confusion about whether e-cigarettes, which are regulated as tobacco products on the island, are banned in public places. Some health groups have claimed that they are, but in 2015, a woman who had been fined €233 for vaping in an enclosed place had her conviction overturned on appeal. The court confirmed that the smoking ban only applies to tobacco products, not e-cigarettes.
Adjusted for income, tobacco taxes are around the European average. A tax on wine was introduced for the first time in 2015, but at the low rate of €0.15 per bottle. It has since risen to €0.21.
In 2021, Malta legalised the personal cultivation and consumption of cannabis, although it is illegal to smoke it in public.
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