Overview
- The Bundesgesetzblatt printed the tabaksteuer law on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, using wording that says the law takes effect the day after publication rather than on the intended start date of January 1, 2027.
- The Finance Ministry admitted the error, informed the Generalzolldirektion (customs) and told authorities factories may continue deliveries while it seeks a correction.
- Producers warned the published effective date would bar use of new tax banderoles that are not yet printed and could have forced an immediate halt to production, but customs has been asked not to enforce the change for now.
- The ministry is pursuing a faster fix through Paragraph 61 of the joint rules of procedure to correct obvious drafting mistakes, but that route requires consent from parliamentary offices and notification of the chancellor and Bundesrat and may take time.
- The underlying reform—approved by the Bundestag—still plans stepwise tax increases from 2027 through 2030 that would raise the price of a 20-pack to roughly €11.78 by 2030, and the error has prompted sharp industry criticism and political scrutiny of the drafting process.